The information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry has stated that amendments to the Cinematograph Act 1952 will be proposed in order to combat film piracy.
Addressing the Consultation Meeting of Film Associations via video conferencing, I&B secretary Apurva Chandra on Friday said the proposed Cinematograph Amendment Bill and anti-piracy issues would be addressed after consultation with the stakeholders of the industry.
An expert committee under the chairmanship of justice Mukul Mudgal was constituted in 2013 to examine the issue of certification under the Cinematograph Act 1952. Another panel of experts was set up under the chairmanship of Shyam Benegal in 2016 to evolve broad guidelines for certification within the ambit of the Cinematograph Act and Rules. Among its recommendations was the age-based certification of films.
The merger of the government-run film and media units Films Division, Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Archives of India and Children’s Film Society India and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) was also spoken about by Chandra. He said that the objective behind the merger is to ensure that the NFDC becomes an entity through which the revenues from the film sector can be utilized for its development.
He added that none of the existing schemes is being discontinued. “We will strengthen NFDC so that they can rotate staff and deliver on the responsibilities assigned to them,” he said.
Speaking about the finance minister’s announcement about setting up an animation, visual effects, gaming and comic promotion task force, he added, “We hope to set up this task force this month itself so that work can begin and we are able to utilize the potential of the sunrise sector.”
Prasoon Joshi, the chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), said that the change in the design of the film certificate issued to movies is symbolic of the changes brought in by them. “The process of certification has been smoothened as much as possible. While we continue to need human intervention for watching the films and certifying it, we have streamlined the system so as to speed up other parts of the process,” he said.
Additional secretary of the I&B ministry Neerja Shekhar, who chaired the meeting, spoke about the various schemes that are being implemented, including incentives for shooting foreign films in India and organizing a global media and entertainment summit.
She also spoke about the measures being taken by the government to open film theatres. “The government is planning to come up with single-window clearances for the opening of film theatres and also for event management,” said Neerja.
The government has also approved financial incentives for the production of films in countries with which India has co-production agreements. “For audiovisual co-production with foreign countries, reimbursement of up to Rs2 crore or 30% for Rs25 crore budget films is available. A similar incentive is available for shooting foreign films in India,” she added.
Neerja also stressed the importance of screening Indian films at international film festivals to showcase the nation’s ‘soft power.’
“We need specific content from industry which helps showcase Indian films to foreign countries where the demand for Indian films is present,” she said.