FWICE Plea To Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to resume post-production work

Mumbai, May 20: As the lockdown heavily affected the film industry resulting in a major financial loss, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The letter read seeking permission to allow post-production work of films, shows, and other entertainment projects which are nearing completion.

 

 

FWICE is the film industry workers' union based in Mumbai. As of 2020, it has 5,00,000 members. Several film bodies in India including FWICE and Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) had decided to put a hold shooting of films, TV shows, and web series on hold from March 19 to contain the spread of coronavirus. However, they have to face a major financial crisis due to lockdown restrictions.

 

"We would like to bring to your kind notice that there are numerous 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," the letter read.

 

A part of the letter reads, “With reference to the subject matters, we would like to bring to your kind notice that there are numerous 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 the minimum workforce, it would be a 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," it further added.

 

The FWICE has assured the government that if permission is granted, operations will be carried out with all precautionary measures in place. They said, “We guarantee you of complying with all the required pointers pertaining to the well being, security and safety of the employees concerned into such submit manufacturing actions if permitted to achieve this."

 

The FWICE’s Chief Adviser Ashoke Pandit who is one of the undersigned in the letter says, “The film industry like the rest of the economy is reeling under an unprecedented economic crisis. We need to get back to work slowly because we can’t wait for the virus to go away. I don’t think it’s going away anytime in the near future. We have to work our way around it.”

 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra has been one of the worst-hit states by the pandemic. The state reports the highest number of positive cases of Coronavirus among all the states in the country.