Sikkim is gearing up to host the three-day Global Cinema Festival 2020 from February 28 to 1st March . This edition of Global Cinema Festival is being held in Gangtok, in collaboration with Sikkim Film Coop Socy and is supported by the Govt. of Sikkim. The festival inauguration will be done by Hon’ble CM of Sikkim Prem Singh Tamang on February 28, at Manan Kendra.
The same was announced at a press conference in Mumbai attended by Sakshi Mehra (exhibitor), Kiran V. Shantaram (filmmaker), Ravi Kottarakara (General Secretary, FFI), Firdausul Hasan (President, FFI) and Namrata Thapa (Secy. Info and PR, Govt. of Sikkim) and Dr. Rahul Banerjee (from Sikkim Film Coop Socy).
Global Cinema Festival is an initiative of Film Federation of India (FFI) to take good cinema to small town and growing smaller cities; especially where there aren’t enough movie theatres and where no film festivals of national or international standing have gone before.
The festival will open with Adil Hussain starrer ‘Every 68 Minutes’ directed by Anindita Sarbadhikari. Over three days, 18 feature films (national and international) will be screened along with 18 documentaries, shorts, animation and experimental videos. Azerbaijan will be the country in focus at the film festival.
During the course of the festival, FFI together with Media and Entertainment Skill Council (MESC) and Peerless Skill Academy will organise a special media and entertainment related RPL drive for practitioners in Sikkim. In addition, there will be Master Classes and other locally produced cultural events.
Veterans of Hindi film industry like actor-director Randhir Kapoor, eminent director Rahul Rawail and cinematographer Binod Pradhan are “expected” to attend the festival while Subhash Ghai is expected extend his testimonial support. Ace Bollywood cinematographer Binod Pradhan will be honoured with ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ for his significant contribution to Indian cinema. Celebrity members of film industry from all the cinematic regions senior members of various trade bodies will also be present during the festival.
Global Cinema Festival endeavours to bring quality Indian and World Cinema to these locations; films that the locals, film lovers, and filmmakers would not have the privilege of seeing in movie theatres.
By doing so, FFI seeks to become catalyst for promoting artistic, cultural, and tourism related activities in and around the festival venue, creating ripples that will percolate across town and state, paving the way for a permanent local festival. Global Cinema Festival will then move on to its next venue.
Firdausul Hasan said, “Film Federation of India decided last year that we would organise film festivals in 2 tier and 3 tier cities to promote films in smaller towns. Last year we did the film festival in Siliguri and this year we are organising it in Sikkim.”.
“Sikkim has given many brilliant super-talents to the industry like Danny Danzongpa and National Award-winning actress Geetanjali Thapa. Sikkim is a state where “Nature Always Smiles”. Films are very strong medium and through this platform and through film songs ( and scenes) shot on breath-taking picturesque locations in Sikkim, we can make our presence felt in rest of the country and globally.” added Namrata Thapa who has assured optimum hospitality, security, one-window clearance and local labour support and technical support to falicilitate smooth film shoots ..
She also said that Sikkim is fully equipped for safety of delegates visiting during the festival…
She also appealed to the film industry to visit sikkim for locations for shooting films.
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