The efforts of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) which conceived the idea two years ago and which is the prime mover behind the festival has been shackled by a severe lack of funds. In fact, when the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), an annual affair conducted by the Government of India since 1969, has slipped in credibilty and reputation despite the resources at the government's disposal, how could a private affair work? The fact that a financial crunch prevented the `second' festival of films from taking place last year itself provethat with limited resources, an event of this nature cannot be conducted on a big scale in Mumbai. Even this year, the Government of Maharashtra gave just Rs 15 lakh for the festival.

The cumulative contribution of private sponsors was not enough to invite foreign film delegates, as the organisers would have to spend at least Rs 2 lakh on air tickets and hotel accommodation per delegate. That apart from the other expenses of printing souvenirs, preparing press material and photographs and getting the prints cleared by the Customs.

For, any festival becomes successful only when it attracts outstanding films and reputed film makers. If Cannes and Berlin have garnered an universal reputation, it is because they get the creamy layer of world cinema in terms of both entries and delegates. And films which bag plum awards at these venues get instant buyers and world-wide recognition.

Even at the Calcutta film festival conducted this year, there were very few good films and delegates. In fact, MAMI has had tomanage with left overs from the stock of consulates and embassies. Some of the films screened at this year's event have even been pulled out of the National Film Archive of India, like Madhumati, Pyaasa, Nau Do Gyarah, Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's Where Is The Friend's Home and Close-up (both from Iran), Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove and Karel Kachyna's Jumping Over the Puddles and Funny Old Man. This is no way of conducting an international film festival, but financial constraints have left the organisers with no other option.

MAMI could be a festival to be reckoned with if only the festival is held annually and it attempts to get those films that have won awards at various international film festivals. What the present fete had very few award winners, Manoj Night Shyamalan's Sixth Sense and Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful, to name a few. And the two award winning films Characterl and Tropic of Emerald, both from Netherlands, were among the package of eight films from the Netherlands FilmFestival already conducted in New Delhi and Calcutta.

For the organisers, the festival had to be set up at too short a notice. The government sanctioned the Rs 15 lakh just two months ago, after which organisors had to chase and pin down sponsors. Whereas, hunting down of good films requires keeping a close eye on happenings the world over througout the year. Unfortunately, MAMI cannot afford to have an organisational set-up that functions throughout the year as it costs a lot, both in terms of money and manpower.Even among the seventy odd films that it had it could not show all of them which is why it has extended the fete by one day after the closing ceremony on Saturday.

And the Mumbai film industry too has not felt the need to lend a hand to such an event. The top-notch film-makers who attended the inaugural ceremony did so only because Information Minister Arun Jaitley, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy Chief Minister Chaggan Bhujbal were to grace the ceremonies. But post-inauguration, fewif not none of these very film-makers have been witnessed at any of the festival venues to catch a slice of world cinema. This despite the fact that under the `Romance in Indian Cinema', 16 mainstream films including the recently released commercial blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota Hair were given precious screening time along with Iranian, Czech and Dutch films. For, in keeping with Bollywood's dictum of commerce over art, a film festival does not figure in the scheme of things.

Even the international film festival has failed to keep up its reputation. In 1969, the festival was counted as the fourth best international film festival in the world. But by 1979 when the government suddenly decided to make the fete non-competitive - it slipped to rank 15. Now, it is not even counted on par with the Tokyo Film Festival. Will Mumbai will make a dent?