Filmmaker and screenwriter Nagesh Kukunoor will head the technical committee, replacing senior Odiya director and cinematographer A K Bir, who held the position for the last two years. (File)
THE INFORMATION and Broadcasting Ministry has reconstituted the steering committee and the technical committee for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), one of the country’s premier film festivals that will be held from November 20-28 in Goa. The new 13-member steering committee will be headed by filmmaker Jahnu Barua as its convener. Filmmaker and screenwriter Nagesh Kukunoor will head the technical committee, replacing senior Odiya director and cinematographer A K Bir, who held the position for the last two years. The technical committee has 12 members this year compared to 18 last year.
The new steering committee is drastically different in its composition, which last year had 17 members and included more bureaucrats of the I&B Ministry, including the ministry’s secretary, joint secretary of films and director generals of DAVP, PIB, Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF). Among few people from the film world in the committee last year were filmmakers Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Shyamaprasad and Raghavendra Rao.
Among members introduced in the steering committee this year are Prasoon Joshi, recently appointed chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC); Vani Tripathi, CBFC board member who is also a member of BJP and was the party’s national secretary earlier; advertising filmmaker Piyush Pandey; producer Siddharth Roy Kapur; director and cinematographer Shaji N Karun; animator Meren Imchen; director Ashwany Iyer Tiwari among others.
Filmmaker Anand Gandhi is also a member of the new steering committee. Sources in the ministry said that the preview committee for IFFI is also being reconstituted, although there was no official communication about it. People aware of the issue told The Indian Express that officials from the DFF have unofficially hinted to some members of the preview committee that it might be changed.
The preview committee was set up for three years by then I&B minister M Venkaiah Naidu last year to “maintain continuity”. But since Irani took over on July 19 there has been uncertainty on the continuity of the committee.
