If your feature film has been screened at any major international film festival including IFFI, Goa from year 2000 onwards, a new window opens for recovery. Doordarshan, the public broadcaster of India, will screen such films along with National Award winners in a newly created program “Best of Indian Cinema” and offer a fee of up to Rs. 25 Lakh.

Indian films selected for Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Locarno, London, Karlovy Vary, Nantes, Rotterdam, Fribourg, Munich, Busan, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Rome and Sydney film festivals are eligible for telecast.

In order to attract producers DD has also increased telecast fee. While a television premiere on DD will get Rs. 25 Lakh, regular screening fee has now been set at Rs. 15 Lakh, a threefold increase from the earlier 5 Lakh. Producers of eligible films from year 2000 onward can apply for the telecast.

All films need to be subtitled in English and have to be certified “U” or “U/A” by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to be eligible for telecast.

Doordarshan will soon constitute a selection committee headed by an eminent filmmaker for the series.

In the next couple of weeks, Doordarshan will formulate the details about the series and decide upon a time slot. “Best of Indian Cinema” is expected to go on-air in June, 2013.

A group of Independent filmmakers led by Onir had started “Save Indie Cinema” petition.  The group of filmmakers had demanded for mandatory telecast of all national award winning films on Doordarshan.

(Source: Dearcinema)