Kejriwal Government to overhaul Delhi into an international filmmaking location
Delhi Film Policy 2022 will attract tourism to the state in a never-seen-before manner; large scale job creation & economic growth on the cards: Dy CM Manish Sisodia
Kejriwal Government will provide a subsidy of upto 3 crores for film production in Delhi; to also incentivise hiring of locals in cinema industry: Dy CM Manish Sisodia
Delhi to soon have its own International Film Festival; Delhi Film Excellence Awards will recognise efforts of not just actors but low-level crews too: Dy CM Manish Sisodia
Kejriwal Government to set up e-Film Clearance Portal; approvals of over 25 agencies including police & DDA will be given online within 15 days: Dy CM Manish Sisodia
Delhi Film Fund will help reduce production costs for filmmakers; Delhi Film Card will offer huge discounts and bring business to the tourism & hospitality industry: Dy CM Manish Sisodia
Delhi will be established as a brand in itself with more coverage on the silver screen; artistic, creative and cultural expressions of Delhi will instil pride in every citizen: Dy CM Manish Sisodia
The policy will bring together the entire world of cinema & artists along with hospitality,tourism, transport, and skill development industry: Dy CM Manish Sisodia
NEW DELHI:
The Kejriwal Government will overhaul Delhi into an international filmmaking location. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal the Delhi Cabinet today approved India’s most progressive state film policy to promote the national capital as a hub for modern filmmaking on European Standards. Deputy CM Shri Manish Sisodia stated — Delhi Film Policy 2022 will attract tourism to the state in a never-seen-before manner; large scale job creation & economic growth on the cards. The Kejriwal Government will provide a subsidy of upto 3 crores for film production in Delhi; to also incentivise hiring of locals in the cinema industry. Delhi will soon have its own International Film Festival; Delhi Film Excellence Awards will recognise efforts of not just actors but low-level crews too. Kejriwal Government to set up e-Film Clearance Portal; approvals of over 25 agencies including police & DDA will be given online within 15 days. Delhi Film Fund will help reduce production costs for filmmakers; Delhi Film Card will offer huge discounts and bring business to the tourism & hospitality industry. Delhi will be established as a brand in itself with more coverage on the silver screen; artistic, creative and cultural expressions of Delhi will instil pride in every citizen.The policy will bring together the entire world of cinema & artists along with hospitality,tourism, transport, and skill development industry. Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation has been designated as the Nodal Agency for easing the approval processes for film production agencies by coordinating with the concerned stakeholders in the state.
A meeting of the Delhi Cabinet was held under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday. A major decision was taken by the Cabinet in order to boost tourism by approving the ambitious Delhi Film Policy 2022. Talking about the policy, Deputy CM Shri Manish Sisodia said, “In order to enable inclusive growth through tourism in Delhi, the Delhi Film Policy 2022 was approved by the Cabinet today. This is an extremely progressive policy which has been introduced after closely studying film promotion and tourism policies on a global scale to help generate jobs, boost various sectors of the economy, and instil a sense of pride among the people. This policy does not solely concern film promotion, but it brings together the entire world of cinema along with the hospitality, artist, and tourism and transport industry, as well as skill development related to film production. All of these sectors have been addressed together in an inclusive policy, which will open the door to new opportunities for Delhi.”
He continued, “The objectives of the Delhi Film Policy 2022 include – promoting an environment wherein every resident of Delhi associates what they see on the magnum opus with their culture and society. It will enable branding of Delhi as a destination developed for the promotion of film production and attract enthusiastic audiences to Delhi. It will also promote the growth of artistic expression and languages with focus on the fact that throughout India and abroad film industries of regional languages are given ample support. The policy will ensure the economic growth of Delhi as well with the creation of new skilled and semi skilled growth. We intend to not just support actors, producers and directors but the tourism industry and allied sectors throughout the state.”
Shri Sisodia added, “The framework finalised for the policy is such that it will provide a smoother ground for film production in Delhi. The prime factor will be reorganising the broken institutional structure of this system. Under the current regime, you need to apply to several different agencies to get clearances. Suppose one had to shoot a film in the Garden of Five Senses, they will first have to hunt for the agencies that look after the park, then those who look after the roads, security and likewise. We will eliminate all such hassles and provide an online single window clearance. No one would need to run around for approvals. You’d apply online, pay online and within 15 days you’d get all approvals & rejections. We will launch the e-Film Clearance portal for this purpose. Over 25 agencies of Delhi including DDA and Police have been brought together on the platform thus, there would be no need to run from one office to another. E-clearance approvals/rejections will be conveyed within 15 calendar days. If approvals are not given within timeframe, deemed approval would be given by Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) (the nodal agency for easing the approval processes for film production agencies) unless there is an unavoidable exigency. If film makers want faster approvals, a premium amount would be charged by respective agencies.”
He stated, “Under the framework we’ve also made a significant policy level intervention after studying the process at an international scale. We observed how film-hubs attract producers to their cities and have chalked out a robust plan with that idea. The government will provide subsidies to films being made in Delhi upto Rs 3 Crore. This will bring down the overall production cost of the film but will be provided as per certain parameters. Support Funding would be based on parameters such as number of days of shooting in Delhi, Delhi content in films – as in you can’t just sit in a closed space in Delhi and ask for subsidies, the shots would need to establish Delhi as the location on their own as well as screen time given to Delhi locations and local artists, support staff and skilled crew from Delhi. The maximum subsidy granted would be Rs. 3 crores and depending on the points scored in the scoring system, subsidy from 5% to 25% of the qualified below the line production cost would be given. This has been modelled after the provisions of European Cities. We are also looking to promote new film producers and attract those who usually don’t shoot in Delhi to our state as well. They will be suitably incentivised under the policy too.”
He added, “We want to bring Delhi at par with international locations where films are shot at large. Delhi has signed several sister-city agreements with Moscow along with German and Japanese cities. Producers from such cities will also be suitably incentivised under this policy. Delhi Film Fund, endowed with an initial allocation of INR 50 Crores, shall be established for branding of Delhi as a national and international tourism destination from film promotion point of view. Delhi Film Card of a value of Rs 1 lac shall be introduced to offer special deals and packages to filmmakers/production agencies. Tourism & Hospitality companies will be empanelled under the policy with the Tourism Department. Those in possession of the Delhi Film Card shall be offered a package of discounted services like travel within Delhi, logistics, accommodation and security, personnel management at Delhi locations.”
The Deputy CM further stated, “Delhi doesn’t have an international film festival of its own. Now on, there will be an international film festival every year in Delhi. Along with this, Delhi Film Excellence Awards will be introduced as well. These awards will recognise the efforts of lower-level film crews in addition to directors, producers and actors. To implement this policy effectively, a Film Advisory Board shall be constituted for ensuring ease of film making in Delhi. I appeal to all filmmakers that we’ve made a very progressive film policy based on the highest global standards. We’ve consulted with all sorts of stakeholders at length to ensure no loopholes are left in our efforts. We sincerely hope that the industry will get a chance to create more jobs and grow inclusively through this policy.”
The objectives of the policy are, promotion of artistic, creative and cultural expressions, branding Delhi as a vibrant film shooting destination at national and international levels, building large enthusiastic audiences for films shot in Delhi, and developing and promoting local skilled ecosystem in Delhi.
Benefits of the Delhi Film Policy 2022
The Delhi Film Policy 2022 will aid in strengthening the film industry ecosystem in the state, attracting related investments while creating opportunities for skilled manpower engaged in film-making and related fields. Additionally, it will generate employment directly in films and indirectly through hospitality, transport, and logistics supporting the film industry. It will also bring economic gains for Delhi by increasing the number of nights spent in Delhi by outstation film units. Tourism will see a boost as a result of location marketing of key tourist attractions and iconic monuments of Delhi on national and global platforms. The Delhi Film Policy 2022 will aid in exchange of cultural and technological expertise, resulting in skill development and training of the workforce. Lastly, it will generate increased revenues for the government, and contribute to development of allied industries.
Delhi to soon become a major Film Tourism Destination; Film Shooting Promotion Cell will be established
To promote Delhi as a Film Tourism Destination, policy measures will be vital for establishing Delhi as a shooting and film producing destination. The Delhi Film Policy 2022 offers incentives for further development of shooting locations in Delhi by building and enhancing film-related facilities and infrastructure. These measures will attract film production agencies and establish film making in Delhi. In addition, there will be promotion of Delhi for film shooting through participation in various international, national and local industry events and hosting festivals and other similar events with film-fraternity participants. A Film Shooting Promotion Cell shall be established within Delhi Tourism. In addition, a Film Facilitation Committee, Film Development Cell and a Film Advisory Board shall be constituted for ensuring ease of film making in Delhi. Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation has been designated as the Nodal Agency for easing the approval processes for film production agencies by coordinating with the concerned stakeholders in the state. The Film Facilitation Committee will be constituted with nodal officers from ASI/CPWD/ DDA/DTC/DMRC/DIAL/Environment and Forest Deptt./DTC/ DCP (Law and Order)/DCP (Traffic)/NDMC/South MCD/North MCD/East MCD, PWD/SAI etc; The Film Development Cell will consist of leading film personalities like filmmakers, directors, actors or producers.
Kejriwal Government to support Delhi’s youth in getting skilled, will provide scholarships to students
Annual scholarship/stipend to students of Delhi studying at National School of Drama (Delhi), Film and Television Institute of India(Pune), Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (Calcutta), National Institute of Design Ahmedabad) or any other recognised training institute etc. Delhi’s local talented youth including cast, crew, extras, technicians etc will be covered.