The CM held a meeting with more than 30 filmmakers, actors, and technicians on Tuesday to map out a structure for the project that will contain production studios, outdoor locations, post-production facilities, special effects studios, hotels, workshops, a film park. amusements, a film university, a film museum, and a space for retail and shopping.
It is also proposed to have a data center along with pre-production and post-production infrastructure, processing labs, VFX and digital technology. The CM said its government would ensure that Film City was developed as a dedicated infotainment zone.
“My government is aware of the current trend of OTT and streaming media platforms and therefore we will provide a world-class, high-capacity data center along with all the pre-production and post-production infrastructure, processing labs, VFX. and level digital technology. We have locations, we have cultural diversity, we have a workforce and now a Cinematographic City with state-of-the-art facilities, ”he said.
Among the experts from the film industry who attended Tuesday’s meeting with the CM, art director Nitin Desai offered to set up the city of cinema along the lines of what he has set up in Mumbai. Sandeep Singh of Vistas Media, a Singapore-based company, has offered to establish a Film Academy with an initial investment of $ 10 million. The company’s chief operating officer, Piiyush Singh, said that they have submitted a letter of intent to the government to establish a film academy in the first phase, after which they would like to expand to post-production facilities and establish incubation centers. for media entrepreneurs.
However, while welcoming Film City as a necessary alternative, the filmmakers were of the opinion that the project location should not become a match of UP versus Maharashtra, but rather that the two should work together for a better quality film production.
The land identified for the project was one of the three proposals submitted by Noida, Greater Noida and Industrial Development Authorities of the Yamuna Highway. The current location enjoys several advantages, including a large open area. The total land available at the given site is approximately 1,000 acres of which 780 acres are industrial land. Its proximity to the next international airport, highways, Delhi, Mathura, etc. will facilitate access.
According to the draft already drawn up, the area will be divided into five zones that will consist of entrance and office, filming and residential area, theme park and outdoor location, study rooms and university and airport.
Desai said that around 80% of the technicians and workforce in Mumbai film industry are from UP and after the industry emerges in UP, manpower availability will never be a problem.
Lyricist Manoj Muntasir said that UP’s local spirit and culture would receive an additional boost if a film institute and music academy were also built in UP. Actor Anupam Kher stressed the need for training and called for training facilities to be developed as well. Producer and director Satish Kaushik said that the project would offer a great alternative for film professionals and aspiring filmmakers and that the proposed Film City’s location is suited to the large geography and demographics of the Northern Region.
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