3 film bodies merged with NFDC

The production of documentaries and short films, organisation of film festivals and preservation of films will now be undertaken by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) with the government on Wednesday transferring the mandate of three verticals under it to the Public Sector Unit.

The mandate of the Films Division, Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) and National Film Archive of India (NFAI) were transferred to the NFDC through separate orders. The ownership of assets will remain with the government while it has also retained the brand name of 'Films Division', which was set up in 1948, though it has been merged.

"Bringing all these activities under a single management will reduce the overlap of various activities and ensure better utilisation of public resources," an official statement said.

According to an office memorandum, the mandate of the Films Division for production of documentary films will be transferred to the NFDC’s Production Vertical from April 1. Ongoing projects will be completed by the Films Division as per existing rules and regulations. No new projects can be taken by the Films Division on its own.

The mandate of production of feature films is already being carried out by NFDC and the latest development will give a "strong impetus" to the production of films of all genres including feature films, documentaries, children films and animation films as well as promotion of films through participation in different international festivals and organising various domestic festivals, preservation of filmic content, digitisation and restoration of films and distribution and outreach activities.

The merger of DFF with NFDC will bring the organising of different national and international film festivals under one roof, thereby bringing in more synergy and a focused international outreach. Some of the major upcoming Film Festivals to be organised by NFDC are the Mumbai International Film Festival, International Film Festival of India at Goa, and Children’s Film Festival, the statement said.

The statement also said, the preservation related activities that are carried out by NFAI have also been transferred to NFDC. The National Film Heritage Mission aiming at digitisation and restoration of films and documentaries will now be implemented by NFDC.

The NFDC's Film Facilitation Office will take steps to develop the audio-visual service sector of the economy and promote creative and technical services. Audio Visual Service is one of the 12 champion service sectors identified by the Department of Commerce and the Ministry of Information and 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 sector.

Watch latest videos by DH here: