The Information and Broadcasting Ministry announced earlier that it will fund Indian films that get selected for international film festivals under the competitive category (including Oscars). While an official Oscar entry might be given Rs 1 crore, a film that makes it to the Sundance film festival might be given close to Rs 15 lakh.

However, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of state for information and broadcasting, recently said that so far no aid has been given since no filmmaker has approached the ministry yet. Currently, only Vetrimaaran’s Visaaranai, the official Indian entry to Academy Awards (Best Foreign Film) is the eligible candidate to avail the funding.

When DC spoke to Wunderbar Films, asking why the filmmakers have not sought for the funding yet, they say — “It will take some time to do the formalities. All the paperwork are being done now, and it will take about ten days to finally submit the application. We consider this as an honour from the government.”

When asked about the intricacies in the process, they say, “We have to include the logo of the Film Federation of India. We also need to add a few things to the film like mentioning the FFI in the credits. We are currently in touch with the ministry and the process is in full swing.”

If the formalities are adhered to, Visaaranai will turn out to be the first film in India to get the funding from the new scheme of the Information and Broadcasting ministry. Welcoming the move, the production house further adds, “It is essential to promote a film overseas if it is an official entry in any film festival. It would easily cost around Rs 5 crore, including the travel expenses for promotion. This move will indeed be very helpful for filmmakers.”