Govt SOPs soon for shooting and re-starting film-making: Prakash Javadekar
•
21st edition
of ‘FICCI FRAMES 2020’ gets under way virtually
NEW DELHI, 7 July 2020: Mr Prakash Javadekar, Minister,
Information and Broadcasting; Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Heavy
Industries and Public Enterprises, Govt of India today said that the
government is formulating SOPs for shooting and re-starting filmmaking in
India, which has come to a standstill in the current scenario of the COVID-19
pandemic. He added that we will be announcing the SOPs shortly.
In his video message for the inaugural
session of ‘FICCI FRAMES 2020’, Asia’s largest convention on the
business of entertainment, Mr Javadekar said that virtual space
is the new normal. Virtual is the new place for forging real partnerships. He
added that the government will partner with the industry for progress of the
sector and to harness the soft power of India, which is media &
entertainment.
Mr Javadekar said that though contribution
of Indian media & entertainment sector is small to the
global market currently, we can achieve stupendous results. “Content produced
by India is consumed in more than 150 countries and Indian cinema creates a
large number of job opportunities and earns significant revenue.”
Mr Javadekar added that media & entertainment sector
needs new entrepreneurs, founders and owners to steer the industry forward. He
assured that the government will stand shoulder to shoulder with the industry
and urged the stakeholders to share their suggestions and recommendations with
the ministry for propelling the sector forward.
Mr Anurag Thakur, Minister of State,
Ministry of Finance said that it is the right time for India to grow and
showcase the country’s soft power to the world. With Make in India, we
need to design and conceptualize in India and to achieve this we have to
nurture the talent in the country. He added that we have to build an ecosystem
that nurtures talent and enables growth of the industry.
Mr Thakur urged FICCI to create a roadmap and
discuss it with the government for advancement of the industry. FICCI and FICCI
Media and Entertainment Committee has been reaching out to the
government and stakeholders that has helped in the sectors’ development. He
added that the government will support industry at every step.
Mr Vincenzo De Luca, Ambassador of Italy
to India said
that as the partner country, Italy is proud to participate in
FICCI FRAMES in this innovative setting on the virtual platform. Italian
creative industry will get an opportunity to engage in B2B meetings with their
counterparts virtually at FICCI FRAMES, which will help in developing projects.
The Ambassador said that Italian media
& entertainment sector contributes 6% to the country’s GDP and 14% of
taxes. Media & entertainment industry is crucial and it can play a strong
role in strengthening economic and cultural relationship between Italy and
India. “Italy can give support to a more global projection of Bollywood as this
will give Italy more Asian and global projection to promote its shooting
destinations.”
Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI, said, “We present to you the 21st edition of FICCI Frames virtually with
the spirit that the show must go on.” Media & entertainment sector
contributes to the soft power of the nation while boosting employment, value
creation and diversity. FICCI remains committed to the development of media
& entertainment industry, especially in these trying times, she
added.
Highlighting the work of FICCI Media and
Entertainment Committee, Dr Reddy said that FICCI has been working on
film policy with various state governments including Odisha and Jammu &
Kashmir. She added that media & entertainment promotes intellectual
property. Our industry has the intellectual capacity and freedom, which is
needed for development of the sector.
Mr Uday Shankar, Senior Vice President,
FICCI said
that industry is set to take a huge hit on account of disruptions caused by the
pandemic and that is directly related to the industry’s disproportionate
dependence on advertisements. While it is true that advertising revenues have
helped the industry grow and sustain, there have also been a lot of
distractions, where businesses have prioritised advertising over content, he
added.
Mr Shankar said that there is absence of
an organised supply of talent funnel of high-quality trained writers,
technicians, directors, actors, etc. He requested the government
representatives to recognise the media & entertainment sector as an
important part of the economy that can create jobs, businesses and wealth.
Mr Sanjay Gupta, Chairman, FICCI Media and
Entertainment Committee said that the world needs to see us as a ‘Creative Powerhouse’ that
delivers globally and inspires all. To realise this opportunity, we need
collective effort both from within the industry, as well as the government.
“The FICCI M&E Committee is focused on working with the government to
unlock the full potential of this industry to power India’s economic engine,”
he added.
Mr Gupta said that with forward-looking
policy initiatives like simplification of the taxation framework, adoption of a
light-touch regulatory approach, infrastructure status to the industry and
support to accelerate exports of films and games, we can enable the industry to
get clarity and ensure that companies can invest with a long-term growth
opportunity in mind.
Mr Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI said that this year from the
conceptualization to the execution of FICCI FRAMES has been entirely virtual.
The 21st edition of FICCI FRAMES is taking place for the first time on a
digital platform. He added that media & entertainment industry will propel
the next wave of growth of India economy.
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