April 10, 2002

‘11’

   The Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Smt. Sushma Swaraj inaugurated here today a Tri-Nation Festival of films from Italy, Norway and Poland. The inauguration was followed by the screening of the film ‘Bread & Tulips’ directed by Silvio Soldini of Italy.

    Smt. Swaraj said that festivals bring countries closer to each other and foster international cooperation by bridging the differences in cultures which is much more important in today’s context when the world today is engaged in fighting terrorism. Cinema, with its universal language, brings together the international fraternity and depicts oneness of humankind. She said, film production is transcending international boundaries and international co-production are rapidly becoming a norm and India is also benefiting from it. In addition, we also envisage films to contribute towards economic growth and employment. Apart from being labour intensive, the film industry is also non-polluting, she said. Smt. Swaraj shared the concerns of Europe about the invasion of Hollywood. But Indian films continue to have a distinct identity, Smt. Swaraj added.

    Fourteen films will be screened during the weeklong festival. These include four from Italy, six from Norway and four from Poland. The entry to the festival being held at Siri Fort Auditorium-II is free on first come first served basis.