Film equipment, from decades back to the latest, on show at Goa

From Our Correspondent

GOA, India, November 24: India's Films Division, a legacy from the days when documentary film-making in India was largely government-dominated, has put up a cine expo, released a film on Indian cinema, is to screen films on the Indian freedom struggle during the IFFI film festival underway here.

Struggling to find a new role for itself, in times when many high-quality film-makers -- specially small-time independent documentary film-makers have entered the market -- the Films Division has also set up a marketing stall of its products and is taking part in a "film bazaar" that is part of the International Film Festival of India 2007.

Films Division is organizing an exclusive exhibition, called Behind The Frames, during the IFFI.

This cine expo will displays different equipment and materials connected with film making -- going from decades ago, to the latest gadgets.

On display are a 35 mm Mitchell camera, metal blimp camera, 16mm Bolex camera, Aaton and BL camera, Eclair NPR camera, Arri 435, zoom lenses, digital meters, Uhar recorder, Nagras, digital recorders, 35mm triple dubbers, and more.

Also competing for space are a Siemens mixing console, still cameras, moviola, sound reader, Steenbeck, 10 K and 5 K lights, Babies, sun guns, reflectors, 35mm and 16mm projectors, color and B & W picture and sound positive and negative spools and more.

Apart from these, rare film-related photographs and posters collected from different sources are also being exhibited. The rare equipments on display offers an insight into the technical nuances of film making, and how it changed over the times.

Films on the history of Indian cinema, film making and related subjects are also being screened at the exhibition venue. The expo will be held at the Dr. V J Pinto Hall, on the ground floor of a restored beautiful colonial building, part of which goes back to the 18th century in Portuguese-ruled Goa, which also served as the main hospital for the region ages ago.

This expo will remain open to delegates and public from November 24 to December 2.

Films Division's documentary films on different subjects -- especially on art, heritage, music, dance, cinema, Indian personalities, and India's freedom struggle and the like -- have been stocked in VCD format.

A marketing stall will sell the same at the INOX venue of IFFI, along with the chance to preview the films.

Films Division is also participating in the Film Bazaar organized by the Indian National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) at the Marriott, alongside Miramar beach.

"Efforts will be made for exposure of our culture, art and heritage through Film Division documentaries by proactive interaction with producers and delegates from different countries at both the film bazaar and film market stall as well," an official statement here said.

'Dreaming Cinema' an exclusive documentary on the history of Indian cinema after the Independence, is being released on the occasion of the 38th IFFI. This 30 minute film will provide an overview of Indian cinema from 1947 till date, as the theme.

The second issue of 'Documentary Today' will be released during the festival. Apart from this, four Film Division films on freedom movement will be screened in the special section called 'India at 60', marking this country's sixtieth anniversary as an independent nation.

Four Films Division films have already been selected in the Indian Panorama section this year.

Officials said the Films Division team, handling the all-important Print Unit of the IFFI, has started functioning, for ensuring "zero error screenings" at different venues.

ABOUT FD: Films Division, run by the Indian government, has been engaged in the production of documentaries and news magazines for publicity of this country's federal government's programmes. Its news magazines and documentaries have long been released to various theatres throughout the country for compulsory exhibition.

Film Division produces documentaries and news magazines from its headquarters at Mumbai, films on defence and family welfare from New Delhi and featurettes with a rural bias from the regional centres at Calcutta and Bangalore.

It also organises an International Film Festivals for Documentary, Short and Animation Films at Mumbai, also known as the MIFF. 2008's MIFF will be held from February 3-9, 2008 details of which are at http://miffindia.in/

India also has a growing number of documentary film networks such as Vikalp [http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/vikalp/], CAC-Delhi [http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/cacdelhi/] and Docuwallahs2 [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/docuwallahs2]

Films Division is divided into four wings, viz. Production, Distribution, International Documentary and Short Film Festival. See http://www.filmsdivision.org

CINEMA IN INDIA: Cinema was itself introduced to India fairly early, in 1896. Currently, the Indian film industry is rated the largest in the world in terms of the ticket sales and the number of films produced annually.

Movie tickets in India are among the cheapest in the world.  India accounts for 73% of movie admissions in the Asia-Pacific region. The industry is mainly supported by the vast cinema-going Indian public.

According to the Central Board of Film Certification of India, every three months an audience as large as India's billion-strong population visits cinema halls. Indian films are popular specially in countries with significant Indian expat communities, but now attempts are being made to bridge the cultural gap and appeal to wider audiences.

Frederick Noronha in Goa
fred@bytesforall.org