Sikkim is all set to host the 1st Global Cinema Festival 2020 with the screening of around 40 films and a series of activities.
The most awaited Global Cinema Festival 2020 will be held from February 28 to March 1 in the state.
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The three-day-long festival is being organized by the Film Federation of India in collaboration with the Sikkim Film Cooperative Society with the support of the government of Sikkim and the government of India.
Addressing a press conference at Gangtok in Tashiling Secretariat on Tuesday, festival director Mrinalini Shrivastava mentioned that the preparations have been going on in war-footing to organize the first-ever global cinema festival in a grand manner in Sikkim.
She informed that around 40 films from Bollywood and five foreign countries have been shortlisted to be screened during the festival at Manan Kendra.
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Shrivastava mentioned that the three-day-long festival will have the presence of Bollywood artistes Manisha Koirala and Padmini Kohlapuri, a renowned cinematographer, Binod Pradhan along with other personalities from the film industry.
The festival is also scheduled to have technical sessions in scriptwriting, film marketing, digital marketing, production management, sound management and visit to different potential cine locations in the State and gala fashion show.
Shrivastava informed that it is also a platform for filmmakers making short film and non-feature films to showcase their work to high-end delegation coming from outside the state.
She said the festival will also witness five movies made from Sikkim.
She expressed that the event will also open doors for the local director, filmmakers, technicians, producers, artists and technicians from Sikkim to have a network with the mainstream and global cinema.
The director of the information & public relations department, Benu Gurung, mentioned that the festival will also witness the release of the Sikkim Film Policy.
She mentioned that the film policy was drafted and it was in a series of meetings with concerned stakeholders of Sikkim before finalised the policy.
Shrivastava added that with the approval from the state government, the Sikkim Film Policy will now be released on February 28.
She added that the film policy has mainly targeted to provide a single-window system for filmmakers coming from outside the state.
“Filmmakers do not need to go to different departments to take permission to shoot their film in the State and we have made easy for them to start shooting their film without hindrance,” Gurung expressed.
She mentioned that another objective was to showcase the scenic locates as we want to project Sikkim as a favourite cine locates.
“We have many creative people in the cine industry so want the people at the national level to explore them and give them an opportunity to be a part of the film industry,” she said.
Sikkim Film Cooperative Society president Dipen Mohora said such a festival would be very beneficial to connect local directors, producers, artists and technicians with a high-end delegation from the mainstream film industry.
He mentioned that the society was an umbrella organization for around 42 production houses and 300 artistes of Sikkim.
The press conference was also addressed by Priya Entertainment managing director Arijit Dutta.