India and Portugal to work out a co-production agreement in films sector

The discussions took place during a meeting between Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore and Portugal Minister of Culture, Luis Filipe Castro Mendes in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The agreement would be framed in a time-bound manner keeping in mind the legal aspects of such an agreement. 

A possibility of an MoU between the public broadcasters of both the countries to share best practices and seek cooperation in technical and content-related matters was also discussed.

During the deliberations, Col. Rathore apprised the Portuguese Minister on the initiatives taken by Ministry of I&B to provide single window clearances for foreign film producers in the country through the Film Facilitation Office. 

He also highlighted the prestigious National Film Heritage Mission of the Government to digitise, restore, preserve the rich film heritage of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister also apprised the Portuguese Minister about the IIMC and FTII as the premier educational institutes in the field of Journalism and Film Production, respectively, in the country.

The ministers also discussed the possibility of student exchange programmes between educational institutions of both the countries.

The ministers also expressed interest for possible co-operation in the areas of renewable energy, information and communication technology and start-ups.

The scheduled meeting of Prime Minister of Portuguese with the film fraternity at Goa on Jan 12, 2017, organized by FICCI, was also discussed where many Indian film producers have also been invited.

The ministers also expressed interest in sharing of experiences and best practices in social media to enhance the outreach.

Image: PIB