Govt to woo more foreign filmmakers to India: Rathore

Seeking to woo more foreign filmmakers to the country, India has set up a Film Facilitation Office (FFO) to create an environment that inspires them to tap talent available in the Indian film industry, Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said today.

Inaugurating the India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival, Rathore said the FFO would act as a facilitation point for film producers and assist in obtaining permissions, giving information on shooting locales as well as on facilities for production and post-production.

A dedicated web portal to take this application process online would also be operational in the next few months, the minister said.

The FFO, he said would identify and recommend policy changes at the central and state levels that would make India a more film-friendly destination, Rathore said according to a press release issued by his ministry here.

Rathore also said that the I&B ministry had requested state governments to appoint a nodal officer for the purpose of promoting and facilitating film shootings in their state.

He further added that the FFO would regularly engage with these nodal officers to remove any roadblocks and ease out the process of permissions as well as promote the states internationally through initiatives such as conducting familiarisation (FAM) tours for foreign filmmakers, and participation at international markets.

The minister also highlighted the government's recent initiative of instituting the Most Film Friendly State award as part of the National Film Awards to encourage the state governments to support the film industry, the statement said.

He also unveiled the official poster and brochure of the 47th International Film Festival of India to be held in Goa in November, 2016, it added.