Centre announces merger of four film bodies

Four film bodies merged: The mandate of the films division that refers to the production of documentary will now lie solely with NFDC, with the profits accrued also going towards it, the government said in its order.

The ministry of information and broadcasting on Wednesday announced the merger of four film bodies, transferring all aspects related to the mandate of production of documentaries and short films, organising film festivals, and preservation of films to the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), a PSU working under the ministry.

The ministry of information and broadcasting announced the merger of four film bodies on Wednesday. (PTI)

The mandate of the films division that refers to the production of documentary will now lie solely with NFDC, with the profits accrued also going towards it, the government said in its order. No new documentary production shall be undertaken by the Films Division hence forth.

“Bringing all these activities under a single management will reduce the overlap of various activities and ensure better utilisation of public resources,” the ministry said in a press statement. “It will give a strong impetus to the production of films of all genres, including feature films, documentaries, children films and animation films; promotion of films through participation in different international festivals and organising various domestic festivals; preservation of filmic content, digitisation and restoration of films; and distribution and outreach activities. The ownership of the assets available with these units will, however, remain with the Government of India.”

Similarly, the organisation of film festivals, which was the mandate of Directorate of Films Festivals has been transferred to NFDC as well. “This will bring the organisation of different national and international film festivals under one roof, thereby bringing in more synergy and a focused international outreach. Some of the major upcoming film festivals to be organised by NFDC are the Mumbai International Film Festival, International Film Festival of India at Goa, and Children’s Film Festival,” the press statement said.

Film preservation work carried out by the National Film Archives of India will also now be under the NFDC. “The National Film Heritage Mission aiming at digitisation and restoration of films and documentaries will now be implemented by NFDC,” the statement added.

The government has also allocated ₹1,304.52 crore up to 2026 for all these activities.

The decision to merge National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Children’s Film Society India (CFSI), Directorate of Film Festivals (DIFF) and Films Division of India was approved by the Union Cabinet in December, 2020, which set a time period of two years to complete the transition.

While NFDC works with filmmakers to co-produce movies, such as in public-private partnerships, the Directorate of Film Festivals organises film festivals and the national film awards. The CFSI, on the other hand, is responsible for monitoring and production of movies for children and the Films Division primarily produces documentaries, short films and animation films.

NFDC has worked on movies such as the Ritesh Batra-directed Lunchbox and Irrfan Khan-starrer Qissa. The new umbrella organisation will oversee the work being done by each of these bodies as the ministry works to finalise its structure.

Many from the industry have opposed the move to merge the film bodies, stating that they all serve different functions. In December last year, nearly 1,539 filmmakers, actors and others from the fraternity wrote to the ministry stating that the merger should not take place until proper consultations are conducted, HT reported on December 27.

“We hoped that an exercise as important as this will involve detailed discussions with the stakeholders including members of film fraternity and the employees of the above-mentioned institutions amongst others,” stated the letter. “Hence, it was a surprise to know that the High-Powered Committee under Shri Bimal Julka submitted its report without engaging with the primary stakeholders.”

In the letter, dated December 19, the signatories asked the government to put on hold the restructuring of the public institutions till the pending matters related to transparency and consultations are addressed. The prominent signatories included Adoor Gopalkrishna, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Nishtha Jain, Maithili Rao, Shilpi Gulati, Nandita Das, Pankaj Rishi Kumar and many more.