Next Iffi to have section for political cinema

PANAJI: Union minister of information and broadcasting Manish Tewari said that the next Iffi would have a separate section devoted to political cinema from across the world. “Politics is an expression of life in various countries,” he said, adding that he slept over the idea raised by mediapersons the previous day, and decided that political cinema should be highlighted.
Tewari also called for the National Film Development Corporation to collaborate with independent stakeholders and create a biopic as a fitting tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema. “The biopic should encompass both regional and national cinema. It will not only have historical documentary value, but it should be made with such finesse that it develops a revenue model as well,” he added.
Tewari was speaking at the inaugural of Iffi’s Indian Panorama section, which awards the best of 26 feature films and 16 non-feature films, selected by an eminent jury.
While feature films like Paan Singh Tomar , Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Oh My God and Ship of Thesus are in the running, non-feature films like Rangabhoomi, The donkey fair, A dream called America and Lights on Adoor Gopalakrishnan were chosen by the non-feature jury, chaired by senior film critic Raja Sen. The feature film jury is headed by experienced Tamil film editor and director B Lenin, who chose Malayalam flick Kanakya talkies to be screened at the launch of Indian Panorama.
The function ended with the release of a book published by the directorate of publications, government of India, on the journey of Indian cinema through the past century. The book was launched by director Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra and actors Pavan Malhotra and Divya Dutta.