Merger Of Film Media Units With National Films Development Corporation

• The Films Division, the Directorate of Film Festivals, the National Film Archives of India, and the Children’s Film Society of India have all been transferred to the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).
• Up to 2026, a total of Rs.1304.52 crore has been allocated to help the film industry.
• The Indian government will retain ownership of the assets.
• The “Films Division” brand was kept.
• Financial advantages for audio-visual co-productions with other countries, as well as promotion of foreign film shooting in India”

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through three different orders today transferred the mandate of production of documentaries and short films, organization of film festivals and preservation of films to the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), a PSU working under the Ministry. Bringing all these activities under a single management will reduce the overlap of various activities and ensure better utilization of public resources. The mandate of production of feature films is already being carried out by NFDC. It will give a strong impetus to the production of films of all genres including feature films, documentaries, children films and animation films; promotion of films through participation in different international festivals and organizing various domestic festivals; preservation of filmic content, digitization and restoration of films; and  distribution and outreach activities. The ownership of the assets available with these units will, however, remain with the Government of India It will support the production of feature films, documentaries, children’s films, and animation films, as well as the promotion of films through participation in international festivals and the organization of domestic festivals. It will also support the preservation of filmic content, digitization, and restoration of films, as well as distribution and outreach activities. The assets associated with these units, on the other hand, will remain in the hands of the Indian government.

The mandate of producing documentaries, which was previously handled by Films Division, has been totally shifted to NFDC by the instructions issued today. The history and brand name of Films Division will be expanded, and the NFDC’s Production Vertical for documentary filmmaking will be renamed “Films Division.”

Similarly, the Directorate of Film Festivals’ duty of organizing  film festivals has been moved to the NFDC. This will consolidate the operations of various national and international film festivals under one roof, resulting in greater synergy and a more concentrated worldwide outreach. The Mumbai International Film Festival, the International Film Festival of India at Goa, and the Children’s Film Festival are among the major upcoming Film Festivals to be held by NFDC.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is the nodal ministry for the Audio Visual Service sector, which is one of the 12 Champion Service sectors selected by the Department of Commerce. The government has also approved financial incentives for audio-visual co-productions with foreign countries and for promoting the filming of international films in India in order to boost the audio-visual service sector of the economy and encourage creative and technical services. The NFDC’s Film Facilitation Office will be in charge of this as well.

The Government of India has set out Rs. 1304.52 crore in its budget for all of these operations, which will be carried out by NFDC, till 2026. It has been determined that the money generated by these operations will also accrue to the NFDC in order to further enhance the NFDC. The amalgamation of Film Media Units under the Corporation will ensure a balanced and synergistic development of Indian cinema across all genres, including feature films, documentaries, children’s content, animation, and short films, as well as a better and more efficient use of existing infrastructure and manpower.

The Union Cabinet decided in December 2020 to merge four of its film media units, namely the Films Division, Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Archive of India, and Children’s Film Society of India, with the National Film Development Corporation Ltd., which will then carry out all of the activities previously performed by them with the goal of ensuring synergy, convergence of activities, and better user experience. These important policy choices were communicated by the Ministry during its recent interactions with the film industry in Chennai and Mumbai.