“In a diverse nation like ours, the problems of society are multi-layered. Films of longer duration—one hour or two hours—are needed to address these issues” Mr. Mike Pandey, a documentary filmmaker and President, Indian Documentary Producer’s Association(IDPA) expressed while interacting with the media persons at MIFF-2016 media centre on Saturday. “We need at least ten times more documentary makers to fulfil this need, the purpose of a serious documentary is communication and awareness generation, and information must reach the villages” he asserted.

“MIFF has come of age. The colours, the hues, all indicate that it is fast becoming the hub of documentary, short and animation film activity in India. More documentaries are being made. More of them are getting popular,” Mr. Pandey appreciated.

He informed that IDPA had approached Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and submitted a wish list, for providing a fillip to the documentary film producers of the country. This plan included the setting up of a nodal agency, bringing together Films Division (FD) and IDPA, and all ministries of the central government, retaining this agency by paying Rs.10 crore (100 million) per year, to announce and publicise their projects and schemes through films. One of those was realized yesterday, a couple of hours before his press conference began. DD National (India’s state-run television channel under the aegis of Prasar Bharati), with a reach of 80 crores (800 million) started broadcasting a 30-minute documentary made by an IDPA member, and will continue to do so every week for the next three years and every documentary that is shown in this Saturday 2.30 pm slot will earn a fee of Rs. 2 lakh (2,00,000), award-winning films getting 25% extra! This fee structure is a vast improvement over the norm hitherto he told.

Asked what is the need of the hour to support documentary film-makers, he replied with a smile, “A few Bill Gates, who would finance documentaries, as a philanthropic exercise. There are virtually none around in our country. I have found one for my film, the CEO of a corporation, who took sixty seconds to decide that his company would back my effort.”