China to be focus country at International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa

China would the focus country at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in November, an official statement said Tuesday.

The offer was conveyed by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka to a Chinese delegation that met him here Tuesday.

Julka invited China as the focus country at the IFFI and his Chinese counterpart Jiang Jianguo readily agreed to actively consider the proposal. Both sides also discussed on finalization of the content to be showcased in the festival, said the statement.

Jiang and Julka also held extensive talks on exchange of products, services and knowledge in the field of media and entertainment.

Both sides agreed to identify a roadmap for enhancing bilateral cooperation.

During talks with Jiang, the party secretary and vice minister for SAPPRFT (State Administration for Press, Publicity, Radio, Film and TV), Julka proposed a student exchange programme between the film institutes of both countries as a step for strengthening their bilateral cultural ties.

Both sides also emphasized the need for increasing participation in international book fairs like Delhi Book Fair to enhance cooperation in the publication sector.

Julka also touched upon the issues related to the “restriction of Indian films in Chinese market and asked them to look into the matter sympathetically”.

Jiang mentioned the popularity of Indian movies in China and proposed to explore the possibility of exchange of content on the TV channels in terms of movies and serials, the statement said.

Both sides stressed upon the need of a separate Joint Working Group on Films and related sectors. Julka pointed out that such a framework could help in expediting issues related to co-production agreement in the film sector.
Inputs by IANS