Documentaries are a versatile tool to educate people on various issues hence their platform and funding should be expanded, said Mike Pandey, President of Indian Documentary Producers Association. He was speaking in a press conference today during MIFF - 2018.

Mike further said that Indian Documentary Producer's Association (IDPA) is working with a mission to carry out documentaries to the remotest corners of the country. In the current era of fake and manipulated news, films that are closer to life, pursue the path of truth and reality which are needed more than ever. Documentaries do not blame anyone, they do not exaggerate or dramatize, they are not judgmental, they just present the truth without any colour, hence the responsibility of documentary makers is much higher and bigger to be a trustworthy educational tool, he said. He pitched for a dedicated channel for documentaries in India.

Documentary makers face two major problems. One is lack of platform to showcase their work and second is finance. People nowadays are turning towards more realistic world and documentaries are emerging with improved content and quality. Mr Pandey said that, In India, we have ample talent and potential for documentary making, if they get funds, they will do wonders by producing beautiful and thought provoking documentaries. He suggested that corporate sector, under CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) should provide funds for documentaries. He further said that if we really want to be a superpower, we need to educate our people, education is the tool of change and documentaries are the effective vehicle to empower and educate masses.

Mrs Usha Deshpande, vice president of IDPA, informed about IDPA’s participation in MIFF. She said that IDPA has been partner with MIFF since its beginning and conducting open forum on various topics related to film making. She said that new ideas emerge through healthy discussions in open forum.

Mr Sansakar Desai, General Secretary of IDPA, said that screening of documentaries during film festivals is not enough; there should be a special slot of at least one hour. He informed Doordarshan has given a dedicated slot of half an hour on every Saturday for documentaries named as “New Horizons’.

Mr Pandey also informed that the IDPA awards 2018 would be named after the veteran documentary film maker Mrs Vijaya Muley as a tribute to the legendary film maker. He further said that IDPA is mulling to start a fellowship for students who produce value based documentaries. To encourage students, IDPA also givers award to best students’ films.

PIB MUMBAI - MIFF 2018

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Radhika Aghor/Rahul Tidke

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