Panaji, Nov 25 (UNI) Former President of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and American Motion Picture Executive and Producer Sid Ganis has said the academy has been developing a very close relationship with the Indian filmmakers and with Goa through the International Film Festival of India. Talking to mediapersons here, he said in the past few years, the Academy was getting to know Indian Celebrities and filmmakers and wanting to enhance and expand their relationship with Indian Film Industry. Mr Sid, who conducted a special workshop on 'Foreign Language Film Selection for Oscar Awards by AMPAS at the ongoing 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), said the Academy was not just an Academy for America or Hollywood alone, but about filmmakers and artists across the world. Mr Sid Ganis had a distinguished career in Hollywood as an executive at major studios including Sony Pictures, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros. and Paramount and produced films such as Big Daddy, Deuce Bigalow, Mr. Deeds, The Master of Disguise, Akeelah and the Bee. Ms Tessa Idlewine, the Preservationist at the AMPAS, addressing the press, described about the criteria, how a film is being selected for preserving, saying that firstly the preference is given to the Oscar nominated films and that is not all. 'Apart from the Oscar nominated films, the ones which are unique, important and decaying are also preserved. Out of the 37 films under the project, 21 have been restored successfully,' she said. Commenting over the preservation of the work of Satyajit Ray, Tessa, who held a workshop on Restoration of Satyajit Ray Preservation Project, said the AMPAS is working continuously to save the artwork of the maestro and has saved his trilogy ‘Apu’, where the negatives of the films were almost burnt. Directorate of Film Festival Director Senthil Rajan said National Film Achieves of India (NFAI) and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) will have more collaboration to preserve, conserve and restore more number of Indian Films in future. Mr Sid and Ms Tessa Idlewine, also discussed about the 25 year old Active Preservation Program that started in 1991 and has four full time Preservationists. They also talked about the Academy vaults and the 92,000 film titles stored in them. UNI AKM NV SV 1305