Arunachal takes Goa film route to attract tourists

Arunachal Pradesh has decided to emulate Goa's model to organise an international film festival, to turn the scenic hilly state into a tourism hub.

Taking that vision forward, Arunachal government has signed an agreement with Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), an agency formed by Goa government in 2004 that organises International Film Festival of India (IFFI) every year.

ESG will help Arunachal Pradesh organise an International Tribal Film Festival every year with the participation of filmmakers and other film personalities in order to attract the film world to shoot their films in its various scenic locations.

Calling it a new direction towards exposing the state's untapped tourism potential, Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu said, "We are aware of the boost IFFI has given to Goa to emerge as an international tourist destination as well as an entertainment nerve-centre of the country. We expect the same from the proposed film festival for our state."

Khandu said visits of film and media personalities from across the country and abroad to the festival, as planned would open up gates for film shooting in the state while encouraging local youths and artistes to explore the film and media industry for economic growth.

Arunachal had earlier invited Bollywood filmmakers to shoot their films in the hilly state, following which Imtiaz Ali, who made Hindi films like 'Rockstar,' 'Highway' and 'Jab We Met' expressed willingness to shoot his next film in the frontier state. Arunachal Pradesh shares borders with China.

The proposed three-day tribal film festival is being planned in January next year.

Arunachal Pradesh government recently said although the state has many enchanting sites at the high altitude like Tawang, Bum La, Tsango lake and the hills, it was lagging behind in promoting them. Only nearly 5,000 foreign tourists and 3.5 lakh domestic tourists visited the state in 2017.