Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar said that the idea of organizing a film festival to celebrate short films made on coronavirus was wonderful. Speaking at the International Coronavirus Short Film Festival here today, Shri Javadekar said that the festival witnessing participation of 2,800 films from 108 countries on a single topic is an example of peoples' immense talent. The Minister congratulated the organizers of the festival.

Shri Javadekar said that the pandemic has caused major upsets in countries across the globe. However, he noted, that India has been able to handle the crisis well under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who recognized the crisis early in 2020 and has since been working relentlessly against the threat.

The Minister also said that the coronavirus crisis is now on its way out and that soon vaccines would be available in India too. He took the opportunity to caution people against letting the guard down before anti bodies are created and second dose of the vaccine administered.

Speaking about 51^st International Film Festival of India to be organized in Goa, Shri Javadekar said IFFI would be organized in a ‘hybrid manner’. People would be able to witness the festival online while the opening and closing ceremonies would be organized at the location with a smaller audience. He also informed that this edition of IFFI will see participation of 21 non-feature films.

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, speaking on the occasion, congratulated Shri Javadekar and Ministry of I&B for creating mass awareness about coronavirus successfully in a country as vast as India. He also congratulated the Jury and the organizers of the festival for bringing such a vast array of short films to a single place.

Saurabh Singh