New Delhi:
India has invited China to become the 'principal guest country' at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2014, which is scheduled to be held in Goa, Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said on Tuesday.
Tewari, who held detailed discussions with a delegation led by Cai Fuchao, the Chinese minister of State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said "we've invited China to be our principal guest country at the International Film Festival of India in Goa next year.
"We have also requested them to send classical Chinese films to the IFFI in Goa later this year in November," Tewari said here.
Fuchao, who is visiting India for the inaugural ceremony of the Chinese Film Festival being held here, said the two countries should develop their ties from strategic and long perspective and that included strengthening bilateral ties in areas of film and culture.
The Chinese minister also expressed enthusiam for co-production of films by the two countries. In the meeting that lasted over two hours, I&B Secretary Uday Kumar Varma also raised the issue of easing restrictions for allowing more Indian films to be shown in China.
"The Secretary raised the matter with the Chinese leadership about greater access for Indian movies. We are going to constitute a joint working group and this will be a part of the agenda of the joint working group," Tewari said.
Officials said the issue of allowing landing rights to Doordarshan in China was also raised in the meeting. The possibility of having enhanced exchanges in the field of films or exchange of personnel of public broadcasters, cooperation between film industries and regular student exchange between the film institutes in India and the Beijing film school, were also discussed, officials said.
