Govt forms panels to raise profile of NFA, IFFI

In a bid to raise the profile of National Film Awards (NFA) and upgrade International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to the status enjoyed by Cannes and Berlin shows, the Information and Broadcasting ministry has set up two panels comprising eminent film personalities.

The panel members for National Film Awards include Shyam Benegal, Mohan Agashe, Sai Paranjpye, Sharmila Tagore, Waheeda Rehman, Ashok Vishwanathan, Rajiv Mehrotra, Vishal Bhardwaj, Nagesh Kukunoor, Jahnu Barua and Shaji Karun.

This panel will make recommendations for upgradation of National Film Awards for feature, non-feature and best writing on cinema and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, and explore the changes in the regulations governing these awards.

The expert committee for IFFI includes Govind Nihalani, Karan Johar, Pritish Nandy, Prasoon Joshi, Kamal Haasan, A.K. Bir, Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, C.S. Sapra along with Shabana Azmi, Pooja Shetty Deora, Kishwar Desai, Maithili Rao and Nandita Das.