The Bengal Cinema Screening Committee, which was formed recently in keeping with a state government directive to safeguard the interests of the Bengali film industry, met at a city club on Thursday to discuss festive film releases. The meeting was attended by several eminent personalities from the industry.Speaking to us after the meeting, Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) president and the committee’s chairperson Piya Sengupta said, “It was unanimously decided that all four Bengali films scheduled to release during Pujo will hit theatres. There are four-five major releases on Christmas too, but we have decided to discuss that after Durga Puja.”The meeting was convened to streamline the release of the multiple Bengali films during Pujo and Christmas this year. Even the government had expressed concern about the situation. To streamline the Christmas releases, representatives of the Federation of Cine Technicians & Workers of Eastern India and EIMPA will meet producers post Pujo to come to an amicable solution that benefits the industry.Since a recent state government directive mandated screening of one Bengali film in the prime-time slot (3pm to 9pm) on all screens of all theatres and plexes every day, it’s anticipated that all films will get multiple shows. The committee met to ensure that there’s no clash between simultaneous releases so that it’s a win-win for all stakeholders.Push to mandate two-release ruleThe meeting discussed a proposal by some producers which states that no production house should get more than two major release dates a year. The major release dates include Republic Day, Saraswati Puja, Poila Baisakh, Eid, Independence Day, Durga Puja, Diwali & Christmas. The proposal, however, not accepted unanimously, and a resolution couldn’t be reached. But according to sources, the government is trying to make the ‘two festive releases a year’ rule mandatory for all production houses. In the next meeting, we’ll try to schedule next year’s film release dates in a way that each production house can avail two important dates to release their films – Piya SenguptaThe newly formed Bengal Cinema Screening Committee met stakeholders on Thursday to ensure that most films get screens during Durga Puja & Xmas