For a state where foreign tourists feel at home and see as a 'soft introduction' to India, there were surprisingly few foreign delegates at Goa's first-ever IFFI.
Officials from here who have been trying to reinvent Cannes on the Indian west coast argue that this was the situation in Delhi too, and excuse shortcomings in the event due to its "first time" nature in Goa.
Some suggest that a government-led film festival isn't quite the route to replicating Cannes.
Participants and films from India -- and even the diaspora -- were all over in evidence. To engage local sentiment, those who couldn't make it into the new government-backed privately run multiplex and the redone Kala Academy could see movies on the beach.
Konkani plays were put up on the sidelines of the festival. There was also a host of other activities ranging from music and art shows to a recreated parade of Goa's two main festivals (the Carnival and the Shigmo), even if somewhat lacklustre.
Street clowns on stilts, folk dancers, live bands, street-side art shows, and a dazzlingly-lit-by-night promenade were the other draws. Dec 5 will see a vintage and classic car rally, as the state government pulls out all stops to incorporate every crowd-pulling idea Goa is known for.
