‘Extend financial, institutional support’: IFTDA appeals to Maha CM Devendra Fadnavis to support Gondhal's Oscar journey

IFTDA has appealed to the Maharashtra government to support Marathi film Gondhal for its Oscars campaign.

Gondhal has been selected as India's official entry to the Oscars this time, putting regional cinema on the map. The film's director Santosh Davakhar had told HT City on Friday, soon after the announcement, that they have already hired an international PR and social media team for the Oscars campaign, but now film bodies have appealed for government help to be provided to them to boost India's chances of winning.

A still from Gondhal.

The Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), on Saturday, wrote a letter addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. It started off by stating, “The Marathi film ‘Gondal’ has been officially selected by the Film Federation of India (FFI) as India’s official entry for the Oscars. This is an extraordinary moment of pride not only for Marathi cinema but for the entire state of Maharashtra and our country. Such a recognition is a significant achievement for the filmmakers and the Marathi film industry. However, the journey does not end with the selection.”

“The Oscar campaign involves an extensive process of international publicity, promotions, screenings, networking, meetings and other PR activities, all of which require substantial financial resources,” the letter further read, "We have often witnessed regional and small-budget films achieve remarkable recognition at the national and international level, but subsequently face limitations because of lack of adequate funds to carry their campaign forward on the global stage. An Oscar campaign is a major financial exercise, and without sufficient support, even a deserving film may not be able to effectively reach the audiences, industry members and international voters it needs to reach. Therefore, we humbly appeal to the Government of Maharashtra to step forward and extend comprehensive financial and institutional support to the producer, makers and team of ‘Gondal’ for the entire Oscar campaign process. The Government could take the responsibility of supporting the expenses involved in international publicity, screenings, PR, travel, networking and other essential campaign activities, thereby ensuring that the filmmakers do not have to compromise on their efforts merely because of financial constraints."