Language no longer barrier, regional films making waves globally: Murugan

Union Minister L Murugan on Monday said language was no longer a barrier and regional films from India were now getting global attention.

Speaking at a conference at the India Pavilion on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, Murugan, the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, said India produced the highest number of movies every year in more than 20 languages, and invited foreign filmmakers to shoot movies in the country.

The minister invited all the participants to shoot in India and participate in various film festivals in the country.

He said the government offered incentives of up to 30 per cent for co-production of foreign films in India and an additional bonus of a maximum of Rs 50 lakh for hiring 15 per cent work force locally.

Murugan pitched India as a post-production hub for movies with domestic start-ups excelling in areas such as visual effects and sub-titling in different languages and animation.

“The government has brought talented Indian startups from the field of film making to Cannes for helping them pitch their skills to an international audience,” he said.

“Initiatives like Film Facilitation Office are seamlessly enabling the procedure to obtain various permissions under a single window,” Murugan said.

Among those who are participating in the conference are Selvaggia Velo, Director, River to River Film Festival, Florence, Italy; Colin Burrows, Film producer and Director, Special Treats Productions, UK; Mikael Svensoon, Film Commissioner, Southern Sweden Film Commission; Mary Liza Diño, Film Commissioner, Philippines; Judy Gladstone, Executive and Artistic Founder, Ageless International Film Festival, USA; Stephane Ottenbruch, Director, Indo German films; Carey Sawhney, Director, London Indian Film Festival.