Gujarat to be showcased in Cannes Film Festival

Gujarat is all set to be showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. This will be the maiden attempt of the state tourism department to woo international filmmakers to the state. 

The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) has decided to mark its presence through the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at the Cannes Film festival which is scheduled to begin from May 16. Sources said that the TCGL has already approached CII for the space. 

Atreyee Talapatra, director, CII, Delhi, confirmed that Gujarat has shown interest in highlighting its tourism potential at Cannes. "We have been hiring space for the Cannes Film Market and this time the theme was the shooting location of India. This is the ninth year that CII will have it presence in the festival. To show the Indian location, CII had approached several states and Gujarat had shown keen interest," She said, adding that CII is also coming up with a director of shooting location. 

This is the first time that Gujarat tourism will have its presence felt at the international festival. Earlier, during the producers meeting in Mumbai, Gujarat had made presentation of its location and the facilities it offers. 

The TCGL officer said that this would be the first time that TCGL will step out of Gujarat. Earlier, the department had gone global in various tourism magazines through Amitabh Bachchan advertisement, "Khushboo Gujarat ki." 

TCGL sets up special cell for films

 The TCGL has formed a special cell to woo and facilitate film producers for shooting in Gujarat. It has also announced that all permits required for shooting will be arranged by the special cell. 

A nodal officer has been appointed to oversee the facilities for all producers coming to the state. The cell will approach and convince film producers to come and shoot in Gujarat. 

This will indirectly showcase Gujarat to the country and world and boost tourism. The special cell will not only suggest locations, but will also ensure that the necessary permits including that from the Archaeological Survey of India are obtained. "If required, the TCGL will also make arrangement for police," said the TCGL officer. 

"The cell will facilitate the producers to not only choose location, but will also give them an ideal opportunity to shoot in the state," said Vipul Mitra, principal secretary, tourism. 

"The government is keen to attract film makers and this cell will just give permission without any hassle to the producers. The recent shooting of a south Indian film in Kutch was the example of the success of this cell," said another official. 

The official said that apart from the cell, the department has decided not to collect any charge for the infrastructure facilities and even offer TCGL properties at subsidized rate. Usually other states charge even for the police protection. 

"The only condition will be that that the producer will have to give courtesy to the state and even mention the places where the shooting had taken place," added the official.

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