PTI

Panaji, Oct 30: Host Goa will not figure in the International Film Festival of India 2007 as no entry of any film in Konkani or by a Goan filmmaker has been registered for the festival.

"There are many films produced in Konkani but they are sans censor certificate. We can't have public screening of such films," Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) governing council member Vishnu Wagh said.

The ESG is the state host for IFFI, to be held from November 23 to December 3 this year.

Without proper financial backing hitherto, the producers in Goa have been producing low budget films, mostly digital, which do not fit in the criteria for the film festival.

"We would have entertained even small time digital films but they lack censor certificate and many of them are not up to the mark," Wagh stated.

For IFFI 2004 and 2006, Konkani films were premiered while for IFFI 2004, Marathi documentary produced by Goan filmmaker Laxmikant Shetgaonkar was featured in the Indian Panorama section.

"How can any filmmaker invest his money in Konkani films when he is not sure to get his money back?," questioned Rajendra Talak, a national award winner filmmaker, whose two films were premiered during IFFI 2004 and IFFI 2006.

Goa government has designed a financial scheme for film producers but it is full of bureaucratic hurdles. The filmmaker expects to recover his finances through this scheme, but on the contrary he encountered great deal of difficulties, Talak rued.