News: Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Panaji, Oct 12:  The Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat has come under severe criticism from the state’s film-makers who have accused him of shielding corruption in organizing International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

“Exorbitant and unwanted amount of Rs 75 lac was spent on the Short Film Centre (SFC). Srivastava is involved in this financial irregularity and Chief Minister, heading the governing council, is shielding it,” Arnold D’Costa, chairman, Goa Film Federation, told reporters here.

Aggrieved filmmakers including internationally acclaimed director Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, local filmmakers Pramod Salgaoncar and Milind Mhadgut addressed the media in the city pressing for scrapping of two events – SFC and T20 – this year.

“Chief Minister should sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with centre for IFFI 2010 only after deleting these two events,” they demanded.

Short film centre is a buyer-seller platform created by ESG in which more than 300 films participate. Shetgaonkar said that SFC attracts films which are looking out for a buyer. “Whats the need to give award to these films which come here to strike a deal,” he questioned.

“It’s not a competition. It’s just a section where short film producers show their product and those who are interested in buying take it,” said Shetgaonkar, who has toured and won awards in the several international film festivals for his Konkani film Poltodcho
Munis.

He said that the amount spent on SFC could be used to develop film culture in the state by organizing workshops and various events. “Per se, we are not opposed to SFC but we want that the money for such sections should not be spent from state coffers,” Salgaoncar said.

The federation members also questioned the composition of ESG’s governing council which has scarce representation of filmmakers on it. “Federation has demanded that two of its members should be on the governing council,” D’Costa said.