Foreign visitors at film fest stuck with dollars, euros

KOLKATA: International delegates and jury members attending the 22nd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) are faced with a “curious financial crisis“. They have enough dollars and euros in their wallets to see them through their stay in India but most money exchange bureaus have refused to be of any help. Some traders have even “short-changed“ them with lower rates, besides passing off now-abolished Rs-500 notes.
Sharofat Arabova, who heads the Network For Promotion of Asian & Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) award, has never felt this insecure on a foreign trip.The Tajikistan resident is striving to manage with the paltry sum she had from her earlier Kolkata visit. “From my previous India visit, I had saved Rs 400.Ever since I came to Kolkata, I have been spending from that,“ said Arabova, who spent the last bit from that fund on a book on Satyajit Ray's last interview from a Film Society stall. “Since Tuesday , I don't have any Indian currency on me,“ she said.
Some visitors said exchange counters were offering them lower rates. “Some of them have been given old Rs-500 notes. KIFF is facing difficulties paying the jury members' expenses,“ a source said. Executive committee member of KIFF Rhitobrata Bhattacharya told TOI, “We are trying our best to ensure our delegates have a good stay.“
Greek actor Vasilis Koulkalani, who reached here on Monday night for the Nandan-1scre Amerikan Square', ening of his ` said, “The hotel guys helped me exchange 20 euro,“ he said. Though his food and lodging are being taken care by the KIFF , he feels insure without cash.
Austrian director Lukas V Rinne, here with his ` A Decent Woman', does not have any usable penny . “We all have families and girlfriends back home. I wanted to take back something for them but with no cash, how do I do it?“ said Rinne.
Iranian director Nahid Hassanzadeh, whose ` Another Time' is being screened, is also feeling the pinch: “I took a taxi but couldn't pay the fare. The authorities paid him.“ German producer Tobais Buechner, who is here for the screening of his `24 Weeks', said: “We used to hear of such problems in Germany in the 20s.“