Anxious moments for ESG team in Arunachal

NT NETWORK

 

PANAJI

A contingent from Goa headed by the CEO of the Entertainment Society of Goa, Ameya Abhyankar, which was in Arunachal Pradesh to attend the first Itanagar International Film Festival was stuck at the hotel, in Itanagar on Saturday, following incidents of vandalism in the city.

These incidents were in protest against granting of Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs) to non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes (non-APSTs) of Changlang and Namsai districts.

The government of Arunachal Pradesh in November 2018 had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ESG for organisation of this film festival, since ESG has expertise in such events.

Vice-president of the ESG Rajendra Talak told ‘The Navhind Times’ that the members of the ESG delegation are safe and not hurt in the arson and stone-pelting incidents. “They have already left Itanagar and crossed the border of Arunachal Pradesh,” he added, pointing out that the delegation is on its way to Goa.

The 20-22 member ESG delegation also included Shantanu Sheorey, who was supposed to present a Master class on photography.

Apart from the Goan delegation, Bollywood filmmakers including Satish Kaushik and Ronnie Lahiri were among others to be stuck at Itanagar after protestors rampaged the venue of the film festival, at IG Park, in Itanagar.

A Delhi-based National Award winning filmmaker Utpal Borpujari has informed the media that many of the invitees to the festival were stuck in their hotel since past 24 hours. “We were supposed to go out to the venue for the festival but the situation worsened and we were stuck in the hotel,” he added.

The vandalism also witnessed the vehicle and musical equipment of popular Nagaland-based musician Alobo Naga and his group being set on fire. The situation forced the police and paramilitary forces to fire tear-gas shells to disperse the mob, with bullets fired in the air allegedly injuring one person.

The film festival was inaugurated on Friday and was scheduled to screen 35 to 40 films, which included Indian Panorama, World Cinema and Far East Asian Films, besides children’s films, documentary films, competition section films and outdoor screenings of Indian cinema.

The Itanagar International Film Festival had entered into a controversy with the Arunachal Film Federation (FFA) coming out with a decision to boycott this film festival.

The FFA, in a press release stated that it is deeply hurt by the lackadaisical attitude of the information and public relations department of the Arunachal Pradesh government, as shown towards local filmmakers, as regards the film festival.

The FFA also questioned if film festivals are not conducted for the benefit of indigenous filmmakers then for whom they are conducted. “If more than 400 filmmakers are not allowed to participate then is it for outsiders only?” stated the FFA release.

Incidentally, the Itanagar International Film Festival was handed over to the ESG, including organisation, curation and selection of the films.

The schedule on the website of the festival reveals that most of the films under the World Panorama section were taken from the European Film Festival held by the ESG in August 2018.