I and B Ministry gives in-principle nod to film commission

In a big development, Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry has in-principle approved the constitution of a national-level film commission in India. I & B Minister Manish Tewari informed it at the inauguration ceremony of the film bazaar, organized as part of this year's International Film Festival of India (IFFI), yesterday that the ministry is working out the modalities for its formation. Answering had the Home Ministry raised certain reservations on the formation of the commission, Tewari said, "Home ministry will have natural concerns on the security aspects. Those concerns will also be factored into when the commission is finally formed."

The sixth edition of the annual Film Bazaar organized by National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has seen a significant growth in participation this year. "In the co-production market, we will have 120 entries this time, as against around 60 entries last year. Last year we had 635 delegates from 40 countries registered. But this year the numbers will be much more, even though our focus is more on quality rather than the numbers," says Nina Lath Gupta, its managing director.

The 43rd International film festival of India that coincides with the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema was inaugurated in Goa on Tuesday by Bollywood'skhiladiAkshay Kumar. He attributed his love for the state and his "lovely" house here to the Goans who make the state such a wonderful place. "Cinema to me, is devotion, excitement, suspense, and above all, family time," Akshay said. The actor also praised his late father-in-law Rajesh Khanna’s contribution to the industry and invited everyone toobserve a moment's silence to honour all the stalwarts of Indian cinema that passed away in the last year.