Panaji, Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on Monday said that the film industry is not only a creative minds' industry, but it is also a "creative economy".

Thakur was speaking while opening 53-Hour Challenge namely '75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow' in the International Film Festival of India, here.

"Here you will get opportunities for networking (to get associated with filmmakers) and achieve your goal in the area. This competition will add 'creative minds' in the industry," he said.

"You will achieve good heights. In master classes you will get to learn from experts from this industry. When we say film industry as another creative minds industry, it is also a creative economy for any country, which is also known as soft power," Thakur said.

He said that experts from the film industry will not only teach participants, but they will also get a plank. "You will get an opportunity for your work, your network is your networth. IFFI platform has been an attraction for the globe," he said addressing participants.

Thakur said that some of the participants of last competitions have carved their niche in the area and are successfully working in films.

He said that India is doing well in startups. "In last eight years, youths have proved themselves. This means if our youths decide to achieve goals then they get success in it," he said.

He urged the 75 young talents to explore, experience and engage with the brightest minds in the industry.

The 75 youngsters, all in the age group 18 - 35, who have made it to the list of '75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow' contest, are divided into groups of 15 to compete in a "53-Hour Challenge".

The competition will challenge them to produce a short film on their idea of India@100, all in 53 hours. This segment of IFFI 53 is powered by National Film Development Corporation in collaboration with Shorts TV.

He informed, nearly 1000 entries in 10 categories were received, which were screened and 75 were chosen for competition.