National Film Awards discussions starts

In a bid to give regional language films a bigger chance to bag the spotlight at the National Film Awards, the government has decided to introduce a two-tier selection system. The delayed selections for the 2009 Awards will be conducted under the new system. The decision has been taken on the basis of recommendations submitted by an expert committee headed by filmmaker Shyam Benegal. Five regional panels will be constituted to select the best films in their own areas, following which a central jury will make the final award decision. The northern region will include films in English, Punjabi, Dogri, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani and central Indian languages, while the western region will consist of films made in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and Konkani. The southern part of the country has been divided into two regions, of which one will include Tamil and Malayalam films, while another will consist of films made in Kannada, Telegu and Tulu. Films made in Bengali, Assamese, Oriya and the dialects spoken in the northeastern part of the country will all be included in the Eastern region. The central jury will have a chairperson and ten other members, of which half will be the chairs of the regional juries. All screenings will be held in Delhi.