In news–The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting recently issued orders to merge production of documentaries and short films, organization of film festivals and preservation of films to the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), a PSU working under the ministry.
Key updates-
- With this order, the mandate of production of documentaries that was earlier done by the Films Division has been completely transferred to NFDC.
- The legacy and brand name of the Films Division will be taken further and the Production Vertical for production of documentaries in the NFDC will be named as “Films Division”.
- Similarly, the organization of film festivals that was the mandate of Directorate of Films Festivals has been transferred to NFDC.
- This will bring the organization of different national and international film festivals under one roof, thereby bringing in more synergy and a focused international outreach.
- The Preservation related activities that are carried out by National Film Archives of India have also been transferred to NFDC.
- The National Film Heritage Mission aiming at digitization and restoration of films and documentaries will now be implemented by NFDC.
- Audio Visual Service is one of the 12 Champion Service sectors identified by Dept. of Commerce, and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is the nodal Ministry for this sector.
- Financial incentives for audio-visual co-productions with foreign countries and for promotion of shooting of foreign films in India have also been approved by the Government to further stimulate the Audio-Visual service sector of the economy and promote creative and technical services.
- This will also be spearheaded by the NFDC through its Film Facilitation Office.
- The Government of India has made a budgetary allocation of Rs. 1304.52 crore up to 2026 for all these activities, which will be implemented through NFDC.
- The ownership of the assets available with these units will, however, remain with the Government of India.
About National Film Development Corporation (NFDC)-
- A PSU established in 1975, its earlier version was the Film Finance Corporation and now based in Mumbai.
- It was established to encourage high quality Indian cinema.
- NFDC aims at fostering excellence in cinema and promoting the diversity of its culture by supporting and encouraging films made in various Indian languages.
- Its job was to finance, produce, and distribute feature films, and to promote filmmakers outside the mainstream.
- It has made noteworthy contributions to parallel cinema, but has been unable of late to provide exhibition infrastructure to independent filmmakers.
- Through its Film Bazaar Work-in-Progress (WIP) Lab, NFDC has provided a platform for young talents to interact and learn.
Roles of other film media bodies-
The Films Division (FD) of India-
- FD, the largest moving-image repository and audio-visual record of Indian history was established in 1948 to create public service awareness films, to film the decolonisation and nation-building process, and to produce and distribute newsreels and documentary films.
- Colonial agencies such as the Film Advisory Board, Information Films of India, Indian News Parade, and Army Film and Photographic Unit, were handed over to it.
Children’s Film Society India-
- CFSI, formed in 1955, was tasked with producing children’s films and value-based entertainment, also for underprivileged children, in small towns and rural areas.
The National Film Archive of India(NFAI)-
- Established in 1964 under renowned curator P K Nair, it was tasked with tracing, acquiring, and preserving the heritage of fiction cinema in India.
- NFAI is a repository of “thousands of films, books, scripts, posters, photographs dating back to the 1910s, and actively promotes film research and scholarship on Indian and South Asian cinema.
Directorate of Film Festivals(DFF)-
- It was established in 1973, and tasked with cultural exchange, promoting Indian cinema worldwide, organizing the National Film Awards and Dadasaheb Phalke Awards, the Mumbai International Film Festival, and the International Film Festival of India in Goa.
- All of this will now be part of NFDC’s mandate under its Promotion Vertical, with which DFF employees will be attached on a temporary basis.
Source: PIB
