Mega film city to be set up at Collem

PONDA: In a bid to promote film culture in Goa, a mega film city will soon be set up at Collem in Dharbandora taluka amidst the picturesque locations of Pikalewadi, about 35 km from Ponda.
The film city will also have an institute which will be providing degree level education in film and television, a film maker of international repute M K Shankar said on the sidelines of an ongoing film workshop in a guest house at Pikalewadi.
Shankar said the project will be spread over an area admeasuring about 365 acres and would cost about 120 crore.
The film city at Collem will be a one-stop shop for all film makers, particularly for low budget film makers, which will provide all the technical facilities, set designs, accommodation and transportation for the crew, etc., Shankar added.
Mumbai based institute of film and video technology, in association with Winika enterprises, Margao, is conducting the ten-day workshop on cinema and television production in the guest house.
The workshop is being organized under the aegis of M K Shankar; renowned film maker and former director general, films division, Kuldeep Sinha and former dean (media) Sagar university, S L Balmike.
While addressing the aspiring film makers, media students and film lovers who are attending the workshop, Shantaram Pikale, owner of the land on which the film city will come up, has emphasized the need for developing a film culture in Goa. The state has gained an international reputation for organizing film activities, including the international film festival of India (IFFI), Pikale said.
Pikale has expressed his willingness to provide his land to develop the mega film city.
The workshop was inaugurated by North Goa deputy collector Deepak Desai. In his speech, Desai emphasized the need for film technology to reach the common man.
These two projects will benefit the local film makers and attract film makers from around the world, Kuldeep Sinha said. Sinha also said that the picturesque landscape is the best suited to inspire and fire the vision of new film makers.
S L Balmike, another faculty in the workshop, underlined the curriculum of the workshop which will cover intensively script writing, film direction and cinematography along with other subjects.