MUMBAI: The Films Division has chalked out plans to promote documentary films by reaching out to the maximum possible viewers.

Films Division chief producer Kuldeep Sinha informed at the IFFI that the measures include holding documentary film festivals at locations all across the country, holding shows at universities, colleges and other educational institutions, partnering with NGOs etc.

The Division has already held documentary festivals in the North Eastern States and Jammu and Kashmir as well as held screenings at select educational institutions. The Division aims to promote viewership of documentaries archiving the history of Indian freedom movement and has also sent a proposal to Government of India to consider a separate Documentary Film Channel to promote documentary viewership in general.

The Films Division has also put on display an exhibition ‘Behind the Frames’ at IFFI – 2007, which exhibits antique cameras and other equipments used for making films in the olden era to the latest gadgets. Apart from these, props and rare photographs collected from different sources are also exhibited.

“The rare equipments on display will give an insight into the technical nuances of film making, over the times. Films related to history of Indian cinema, film making and related subjects are also being screened at the Exhibition venue. The Exhibition is intended to take the cinema lovers to a journey down the memory lane from the magic world of film making of the yore to the digital age”, Sinha informed.

Meanwhile, the 10th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) for documentary, short and animation films will be held from 3-9 February, 2008 at Mumbai. So far, 228 films have been received from 37 countries for the International Competition section and 543 films have been entered in the Indian Competition section.