NEW DELHI: To mark the celebration of the G-20 Summit the city will hold its first international film festival this year. Though it will be held on the pretext of welcoming foreign delegates arriving for the G-20 events, the film festival will become an annual affair, officials said.
“The G-20 will serve as a launching platform for the festival but we will hold it annually,” a senior government official said. Sources said that the city’s first international film festival will be held in August after Independence Day. The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) have been chosen as the nodal agency to organise the event.
“The dates are not finalized yet. However, we are planning to conduct it in the last two weeks of August,” an official from the department informed. Divulging further details, the officials said the festival organised this year will not be competitive and will be limited to the screening of films from G-20 member countries.
However, there is a plan to organise it on a full scale from next year with competitions in several categories. “This year, screening of films from the member nations will be held at select cinema halls and public auditoriums. However, a plan is in motion to invite foreign filmmakers from next year to showcase their work and compete with others,” the senior official said. . The international film festival was also one of the policy highlights of the Delhi Government’s budget for the year 2022-23. The city government launched the Delhi Film Policy-2022 last year with a budgetary allocation of Rs 30 crore aimed to promote the city as a hub for movie production.
The Delhi government had promised to set up a single window e-clearance portal where filmmakers will get the required approval from more than 25 agencies in one place.