A complaint has been filed with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority via Hello Sarkar regarding the stall purchased by the Film Development Board at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
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The Ministry of Information and Communications has sent a letter to the Film Development Board to initiate necessary action regarding the Cannes stall controversy. After a complaint was filed with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority concerning the stall purchased by the Film Development Board at the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival, the ministry sent a letter instructing the board to take necessary action regarding the complaint.
"We have asked the board what happened regarding the letter we received. Once we receive their response, the necessary process will move forward," ministry spokesperson Uday Bahadur Rana Magar told Kantipur.
Previously, a complaint on this same issue regarding Cannes had been filed with Hello Sarkar. On Jestha 19, a complaint was filed under the title "Study and investigation necessary regarding the participation of the Film Development Board at the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival, and irregularities seen in the stall purchase and operation process." However, the details of the complainant were not disclosed. After a complaint was filed with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, it appears the ministry's attention was drawn to the Cannes controversy.
In fact, this year, the stall (booth) at Cannes was purchased through the collaboration of the Film Development Board and the Tourism Board. Although the stall was purchased with the aim of promoting the Nepali film sector, fostering international cooperation, and providing global exposure to Nepali films and filmmakers, filmmakers raised questions on social media after the posters of the very films that made it to Cannes were not included at the stall.
After the poster of "Elephants in the Fog," which was selected for the first time in an important category at Cannes and even won an award, was not included at the stall, many filmmakers questioned the expenses for the stall purchased by the board. Only the poster of the film "Eklo," directed by Pradeep Shahi, was prominently displayed at the stall. As the controversy intensified, the Film Development Board issued a statement saying that it had called on interested filmmakers wishing to participate in the Cannes stall to provide posters, trailers, and promotional materials, but since nothing was received from "Elephants in the Fog" until the end, the stall was managed based on the materials available.
The statement also mentioned that, due to the government's three-month policy provision regarding foreign visits, board representatives were unable to reach Cannes at the last moment.
Therefore, the management of the stall was handled by the local manager and the partner Nepali production company, Shahi Production, based in the UK. Although the stall was jointly purchased by the board in collaboration with the Tourism Board, the board's name was written in small letters at the stall. The stall was filled with posters produced by Shahi Production, including a large poster of the film "Eklo," starring Film Development Board Chairperson Dinesh DC.
