Film-fixing
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 19, 2013 -
Thanks to the crazy world of Indian cricket, match-fixing or spot-fixing in various discipline of sports where one or more players are bribed to either lost the game deliberately or perform certain pre-arranged commands or acts so that the outcome of a match or of event within that match are known to the bookmakers or bookies in advance for the purpose of making money from organised betting is something all of us are well-aware of today.
But film-fixing or fixing of the films to be selected for screening in a festival in advance is surely going to be a newer concept in the world of creativity, if there is any truth is the sound of complaints that have been emanated from the selection procedure of films for the ongoing 8th Manipur State Film Festival-2013.
Many young and talented Manipuri film makers, who have received awards and accolades at various National and International film festivals, have expressed their displeasure over the procedure of selecting films by Manipur Film Development Corporation (MFDC) Limited for screening during the 8th edition of the State film festival, which was inaugurated on December 18 and would go on till December 24.
The complaints that have come from these home-grown young and talented film makers should not be simply brushed aside as grudges arising out of rejection of their films from screening in the festival by the selection committee if MFDC really intends to promote Manipuri film industries and encourage the film makers.
First of all, it is surely beyond the imagination of anyone, not just these 'disgruntled' film makers, why many of the Manipuri feature films as well as non-feature films, which have not only been appreciated by the National and International audiences but also won awards in various competitions, have been rejected from screening in the festival.
Is it because these films were not among the entries submitted for the selection or is it because they failed to meet the laid down criteria for the selection?
If they were not among the entries, then, we don't have anything to say (although we felt, at the same time, that arranging special screening of such award-winning films for the home audience as part of the festival in the non-competition section would have done no harm to the organisers provided they were aware of such trends in other film festivals around the globe).
However, if they were among the submitted entries but were rejected on the ground of not fulfilling the criteria, then we would like to question the 'superiority' of the criteria laid down by the organisers of 8th Manipur State Film Festival over the criteria of other National and International film festivals, where these rejected 'films' have won the hearts of the people and brought laurels to the State.
Or, is it simply a case of laying sown selection criteria to suit the whims and fancies of the members in the organising committee so that their own films, which could never find a place in any National or International level festivals, be included?
MFDC definitely owes an explanation to this?
By the way, in the light of this 'film-fixing' controversy, the announcement made by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh during the inaugural function of the festival that the Government is planning to frame a long-term policy to promote and encourage those film-makers who have won national and international awards either by offering government jobs or cash incentives, sound so ridiculous.
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