It wasn’t going to be an easy job to organize an international event, but for Amit Satija, CEO of Entertainment Society of Goa, who worked on the ground 24/7 to manage logistics in close collaboration with DFF, it was meticulous planning and collaboration with different departments that helped him organize a memorable 50th Anniversary of IFFI

A positive man, who looks for a silver lining in every situation, Amit Satjja, CEO of Entertainment Society of Goa, was a hard person to find while he was busy preparing to fulfil the vision of making the 50th IFFI Golden Jubilee celebration a memorable one.

“Everyone in Goa is proud that IFFI takes place in their place and associates with it. Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant’s unflinching support was there all the time. He would personally monitor the progress. He personally used to review the project; visit the venue and guide us what to do and what not to do. In the beginning only we set the contours. We wanted to make it people-friendly. We wanted Goa to remember the 50th IFFI Golden Jubilee celebration,” says Satija, who took over the preparations for the festival in July this year.

This edition of IFFI was also special for Goa, as it was the first time that movies were sent to different talukas of the State in mobile vans for common Goans to experience their magic. “ESG sent mobile vans with movies to different talukas and we also screened films in four Rabindra Bhavans for the benefit of local population. There were also two open-air screenings,” he reveals.

His attitude towards work has been one of the key elements in making IFFI’s Golden Jubilee celebrations such a huge success. “When someone comes with a problem, at least I don’t take it as a problem. I take it as a feedback of the system we work in. And, if one person comes to me with a problem, at least 100 persons must be facing it. Therefore, we must find a solution to that problem,” he adds.

Satija and his team started preparing for IFFI in mid -July. This was an additional charge for him, as his main charge is that of Commissioner of Excise, Government of Goa.

ESG sent mobile vans with movies to different talukas and we also screened films in four Rabindra Bhavans for the benefit of local population.

“I tried to jot down everything possible that happens in the festival and arranged them in a sequence, clearly writing what action has to be fulfilled with what. And most importantly, we had to follow the government procedures in all the tendering that happened for the festival.”

He said that he was thankful to at least 30 government departments who took collective responsibility to make this edition of IFFI a success. “Without police, the event could not have been successful. We also got venues from forest department. Without them it was not possible. Then CCP, PWD, Electricity department, waste management, health department, and traffic police also contributed significantly,” he says.

His mantra for dealing with stress: “The stress is directly proportional to the
planning that you make. If your preparations are well, your stress will be less.” It was this attitude that kept him going which resulted in a festival that will be remembered for a long time to come.