Goa`s only entry at IFFI expects maximum eyeballs

Panaji: `Digant`, a Konkani movie about the lives of the nomadic `Gowli` community here, is Goa`s only entry for the 43rd edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and is expected to grab maximum eyeballs.

The film, to be screened in the Indian Panorama section of IFFI 2012, focuses on the nomadic tribe which has challenged the popular notion of `stability and freedom` in life. "This community believes in nature. They are always atuned to nature. They wander around in the woods with the sheep flock," Dnyanesh Moghe, director of the film, said. "This community is just a backdrop. The film attempts to challenge the much believed notion of stability and freedom in life," said Moghe, adding that the popular impression about stability is to own a house. "Here the shepherds never settle at one place but still are stable," Moghe adds. "The meaning of freedom is forever varied. In this film, the conflict between the different characters lies basically in the difference between their values," he explains. `Digant` was also an entry in the New Faces section of Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) film festival this year. "A few Goans in Mumbai saw the movie and they were really emotional about it," said the director. Moghe is glad that the team of eminent filmmakers like Buddhadev Dasgupta, Girish Kasarvalli and Jahnu Barua are a part of the jury to select films for Indian Panorama section of IFFI. "My expectation from the IFFI is that maximum people should watch it," said the director. The film, shot over 26 days in the remote village of Kalne on Goa-Maharashtra border, also expects to be released commercially after the festival. The film is written by Konkani writer Prasad Lolienkar and produced by Sanjay Shetye. The 43rd IFFI begins here today with actor Akshay Kumar inaugurating the festival. PTI