For some, the 35th International Film Festival of India that ended today was ‘‘very disappointing’’. For some film producers, the so-called international business was non-existent.The Film Bazaar, created four years ago apparently to provide “a platform to producers, venture capitalists, financiers — both domestic and international — to buy, sell, collaborate, produce, distribute and commission films’’, remained just on paper for some producers in Goa.Says S.B. Suresh Babu (35), International Business Development Manager for Prasad Corporation Pvt Ltd: ‘‘It was very disappointing’’. One of South India’s two most well known production houses, Prasad rented a massive stall at Rs 81,000 a for 10 days with the hope of ‘‘getting business’’ for its latest post-production offers. ‘‘We’ve had more enquiries from students of the local college of art than any foreign or Indian film maker,’’ says a furious Babu.Across the red carpet, the group’s biggest competitor Ramoji Films closed shop and left ‘‘two days earlier’’ for ‘‘the same reason’’, points out an assistant. At the spread of government-run film stalls selling, besides their services, CDs of their works — some as old as 1973 black and white clippings of Suffiana Qawali artistes Sabri Brothers and Habib Painter — Deputy Director of Projects for Doordarshan Dr R.D. Vashisht echoes Babu, diplomatically.‘‘It’;s the location,’’ points out Dinesh Negi (33), Assitant Distribution Officer for Children’s Film Society, a venture that was looking to sell the ‘‘rights to thousands of children’s movies’’ to foreign distributors.Nestled in a tree-covered corner of the Charles Correa designed Kala Academy that’s hosting IFFI, the Bazaar is missable. Worse still, given the strict security cover, only delegates and the media are allowed to enter Kala Academy.
