On Tuesday, 19 May, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking for permission to to re-start post-production of films, shows and other projects that are almost complete, according to a report by PTI.
FWICE, which comprises of 32 different crafts of workers and technicians of the industry and has over five lakh members, said that a number of producers have invested crores in projects that are staring at a dark future due to the coronavirus lockdown.
“We would like to bring to your notice that there are a number of projects of the Media and Entertainment Industry which are halted due to lockdown and can be completed soon as only the post-production activities such as editing, sound recording, music recording and others are pending. If permissions are given to carry out such post-production activities of these projects, which can be done in closed studios with minimum workforce, it would be great relief to the producers who have poured in huge funds and that they shall be all set to release their projects immediately after the lockdown is lifted,” the letter read.
The letter further stated that if the permission is granted, the cast and crew will ensure that all necessary guidelines pertaining to the health and safety of the workers who are involved in post-production are followed.
“We hope you to be considerate and thoughtful regarding our plea and provide us the necessary permissions to resume the post-production activities for the stuck project of the media and entertainment industry”, the letter said.
Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, BN Tiwari, FWICE president, said that they have promised in the letter that the required police permission will be sought if activities resume, and all the workers will follow the said curfew hours and the guidelines. “High-end equipment haven’t been used for around two months. It would be difficult to replace that because that would mean a huge expenditure. In the letter, we have requested the CM to allow the director and creative head to supervise the process”, Tiwari added.
To contain the spread of coronavirus, the film body had decided to stall shoots of all movies and shows from 19 March.
(Inputs: PTI and Mumbai Mirror)
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