FRAMES is a three day global convention organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). It covers the entire gamut of media and entertainment like films, broadcast, digital entertainment, animation, gaming, and visual effects. About 200 Indian and overseas speakers will address nearly 2000 Indian and 800 foreign delegates from the media and entertainment industry. This year marks the 15th anniversary of FICCI FRAMES and assumes importance since it comes just before the general elections.
In his opening remarks, Mr Uday Shankar, Chairman, FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee and CEO, Star India, complimented the FICCI team for putting up such a spectacular show. He expressed happiness that the media had recorded a growth of 12 percent last year, amidst an environment of gloom and doom. That is a testimony to the tenacity of the media, he said.
Mr Shankar also described media and entertainment as key to the inspiration of one billion Indians, and hence felt that an event like this was extremely important, especially since it took place at a time leading to the elections. The industry had run through its course of exploiting the first set of economic reforms in 1991. It now faces a complex set of economic and social choices, including the role of the government and private sector. He was of the view that no relationship is more important than that between the government and the media, since they are conditioned to be adversarial. Hence these weeks before the elections call for a rethink of their respective roles.
FICCI Frames always has a partner country and a partner state. This year, the partner country is Australia, and the partner state Karnataka. Mr Patrick Suckling, Australian High Commissioner to India, delivered the Partner Country Keynote Address. He felt that Australia’s film credentials are not as well recognised in India as they should be. His country has won about 50 Oscars, out of which three have been this year. The industry is adept in both front and back end cinema quality. There are four major production houses, with modern infrastructure, technological expertise, and post production, animation and music facilities. Australia is famous for its locations, and he called upon Bollywood producers to consider shooting in Australia. He also announce that Australia’s interests go beyond film making to education, and can make a good contribution to Indian film institutes. However, there still remain areas of mistrust and lack of understanding between the two countries, and these must be addressed through interaction.
Karnataka, the partner state, was represented by Mr Srivatsa Krishna, Secretary, Department of IT, BT & ST, Government of Karnataka. In a dramatic multimedia presentation, he showcased the state-of-the-art facilities available in Karnataka, and revealed that many famous Hollywood film sets were actually created at Whitefield in Bengaluru. He invited Indian and international film makers to take advantage of the facilities offered by his state.
Mr Harshvardhan Neotia, Vice President, FICCI, welcomed the gathering to the three-day event and Mr Ramesh Sippi, Co-Chairman, FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee, delivered the vote of thanks. The session also saw the release of the FICCI-KPMG Report and the FICCI Amarchand Lawbook. The entire session was anchored by Dr A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI.
BOLLYWOOD PAGE3 