While buzz has been strong about single-window clearances and film shooting permits going on line, concrete steps are finally being taken in this direction. In a bid to eliminate red-tapism, the Film Facilitation Office (FFO), which is a single-window clearance system for international film shoots in India, will soon go online.

FFO WEBSITE TO GIVE APPLICANTS INFO ABOUT SHOOT LOCATIONS
The FFO, operated by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), will launch a website that will give applicants access to information about all shooting locations. Officials say this will help them create simpler shooting permission systems and they will also be able to connect both Indian and foreign filmmakers. Vikramjit Roy, head, FFO, says, “We only facilitate film shooting permissions, it's the I&B Ministry that issues them. However, so far, the process has been offline. We are working on the web portal - its design, and how to make it easier to access the details of shooting destinations. The idea is to make the process online.“


FFO TO FACILITATE INDIAN FILMMAKERS' PROJECTS TOO
The FFO was launched in June this year, and since then, 14 international film projects have been approved to be shot in various states, of which five shoots are in progress. Officials tell us that the FFO was launched primarily to ease film shooting permissions for international filmmakers, but in the second stage, it will also facilitate permissions for Indian projects. They also say that since the FFO is a collaboration of the I&B Ministry and NFDC, the focus is also on co-productions in which Indian and foreign film makers can make films together. Films like The Lunchbox, Thithi and Chauthi Koot are co-production films from the NFDC.

SHOOTING-FRIENDLY STATE INITIATIVE HELPED US: OFFICIALS
During a workshop of state tourism departments in Goa during the Film Bazaar, many state representatives had highlighted the issues that they face. Back then, they had also said that they were working to wards making their states shooting-friendly. Officials said that the I&B Ministry's initiative to award the most film-friendly state during the National Awards helped a lot, and now, a number of states have nodal officers for film shootings.

Meanwhile, the officials said that the FFO will help Indian filmmakers shoot abroad as well. Roy says, “If any Indian filmmaker wants us to connect them to any foreign film commission, we will do so. The FFO was designed primarily for international filmmakers, but we will also support Indian ones.“