- NET Web Desk
The northeastern state of Sikkim is gearing-up to organize the second edition of highly-anticipated ‘Sikkim Global Film Festival’, scheduled to be held from December 10-14.
Chairperson of Sikkim Film Promotion Board (SFPB), Pooja Sharma briefed the mediapersons about the array of events which will be hosted during the Sikkim Global Film Festival, 2021.
Organised under the aegis of SFPB, Information & Public Relations (IPR) Department, Government of Sikkim, the film festival will include movie screenings from December 10-14 at MG Marg, Gangtok.
It will also incorporate of fashion shows, cultural exhibition and art performances.
Sharma further informed that eminent Sikkim-based personalities will be conferred with awards for their relentless contribution to the mainstream Indian cinema.
They will be awarded during the main event of the festival to be held at Manan Kendra on December 11, added Sharma.
Similarly, various other artists and filmmakers who have given excellence in the film sector at the State level will also be awarded during the function, she further added.
The event will also feature the distribution of awards to ten production houses along with various category awards for short film competition (Best Film), best films for the tribal, indigenous and regional film competition, 1-minute video competition and special awards for Documentary made in Sikkim, Best Short Film (International), Best Debut Filmmaker and Special Social Cause and short awareness film, etc.
The Chairperson further informed that investors and producers meet will also be held on the sidelines of the festival on December 12.
It will aim at facilitating a great platform for the stakeholders to explore the film sector as a potential business avenue.
It was also informed that the Sikkim Global Film Festival 2021 will be attended by Bollywood Actress Malaika Arora as the star celebrity campaigner of the fest along with a host of star guests including Bollywood Actress Sayani Gupta, Singer Mohit Chauhan, distinguished Bollywood producers, renowned actors and filmmakers from Nepal, Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
Addressing the press conference, Minister for Information & Public Relations Department, Lok Nath Sharma asserted that the ‘Sikkim Global Film Festival 2021’ will offer a platform for the young local talents to present their creative works, thereby supporting them to make a mark domestically as well as globally.
“The significance of the festival extends beyond the development of the filmmaking sector as it will also highly influence the various aspects of tourism and hospitality, thereby boosting the economic development of the State.” – added the IPR Minister.
Stressing on the importance of scheduled investors and producers meeting in generating a better understanding of a well-connected network in the film industry, the Minister informed that around 20 contractors from the state have also been invited to participate in the meeting through the Contractors Association of Sikkim for the purpose of evaluating all future prospects of film-related business opportunities.
The Minister further expressed gratitude to Sikkim Chief Minister, Prem Singh Tamang-Golay for supporting the film sector in the northeastern state by announcing various film-friendly schemes.
These includes the subsidy scheme of upto Rs 1 crore (as per Sikkim Film Policy) to international and national filmmakers who wish to shoot in Sikkim, which has led to the State being adjudged as the ‘Most Film Friendly State’ of the country at the 67th National Film Awards 2021.
He further urged the line departments to work collaboratively for successful execution of the festival and appealed to all for their active participation in amplifying the global impression of the hospitality persisting in the northeastern state of Sikkim.
