In a press conference of MIFF 2018 Mike Pandey, President of Indian Documentary Producers Association stated “Documentaries are a versatile tool to educate people on various issues hence their platform and funding should be expanded.”

Mike further said that Indian Documentary Producer's Association (IDPA) is working with a mission to carry out documentaries to the remotest corners of the country. In the current era of fake and manipulated news, films that are closer to life, pursue the path of truth and reality which are needed more than ever. Documentaries do not blame anyone, they do not exaggerate or dramatize, they are not judgmental, they just present the truth without any colour, hence the responsibility of documentary makers is much higher and bigger to be a trustworthy educational tool, he said. He pitched for a dedicated channel for documentaries in India.

Documentary makers face two major problems. One is lack of platform to showcase their work and second is finance. People nowadays are turning towards more realistic world and documentaries are emerging with improved content and quality. Mr Pandey said that, In India, we have ample talent and potential for documentary making, if they get funds, they will do wonders by producing beautiful and thought provoking documentaries. He suggested that corporate sector, under CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) should provide funds for documentaries. He further said that if we really want to be a superpower, we need to educate our people, education is the tool of change and documentaries are the effective vehicle to empower and educate masses.