7 hours Ago
One afternoon last week, an aged man in the Green Line Metro train opened his medicine pouch, popped a tablet, and walked out when the train stopped at Sandalwood Soap Factory stop. With his delegate pass hanging around his neck, and walking with a cane, he headed to Orion Mall, the venue that hosted the week-long annual Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes). People lining up for the screening of movies at BIFF.
| Photo Credit: k BHAGYA PRAKASH Controversies surrounding BIFFes did not affect the festival’s spirit, as people beat the scorching heat to watch films from different parts of the world. As is the trend every year, senior citizens and college-goers attended the festival in the majority as BIFFes witnessed a slight increase in footfall this year, compared with the previous edition. During the closing ceremony of the 16th edition of BIFFes, organisers, led by Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy chairman Sadhu Kokila, gleefully mentioned the massive turnout on the final day.
During the inaugural function of the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival in front of Vidhana Soudha. | Photo Credit: k BHAGYA PRAKASH Devouring films Regulars at the festival watched between 25-30 films throughout the week. Anora, Best Picture winner at the 77th Academy Award, witnessed a huge demand as people flocked to see the Oscar winner.
The organisers deployed extra volunteers to control the crowd at the screen. The Retrospective category of the event, which had the works of Shyam Benegal, Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski, and German filmmaker Wim Wenders, received encouraging attendance, said N. Vidyashankar, artistic director of BIFFes.
“Most of the movies screened were available on OTT platforms and YouTube. Yet, people came to see them on the big screen. It was wonderful to see them prioritise the experience of watching a film,” he said.
The festival began on an off note, with some Kannada filmmakers accusing the selection panel of the festival of unfairly ignoring their movies. The panel’s transparency was under the scanner as filmmakers complained that their works got rejected without being watched. Actor Shabana Azmi received a lifetime achievement award from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his house.
| Photo Credit: HANDOUT E MAIL Delay in approval The root cause of the problem lies in the State government’s delayed permission for the festival, every year. The late approval and release of funds leave the organisers hardly three weeks to put up the entire show. Generally, there are more than 100 entries in the Kannada Cinema category, and panel members require more time to watch the films more efficiently.
In response to the allegations, the organisers were firm that all films were watched by the selection committee. Vidyashankar also rued the absence of some international delegates at the event due to last-minute communication between the two parties. “Some jury members from the Asian Cinema Category and a couple of international filmmakers couldn’t attend the event as they couldn’t get their Visas approved on time.
It always helps if we get the government approval for the festival well in advance.” The masterclass involving actor-politician Ramya, filmmaker Gautam Vasudev Menon, and cinematographer Ravi Varman saw a great crowd as they discussed pertinent issues impacting commercial films. However, some cinephiles felt the choice of guests for the sessions was completely related to mainstream cinema, leaving little presence from the world of arthouse films.
Violinist, L. Subramaniam performing during the inaugural function of 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival. | Photo Credit: K BHAGYA PRAKASH ‘Missing’ people Like every year, prominent members of the Kannada film industry were missing at the event.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar stirred a controversy by slamming the lukewarm presence of film industry members for the opening ceremony of the festival.
In the blame game, artists complained of not getting an official invite from chairman Sadhu Kokila. The idea behind naming a popular film personality as the brand ambassador of BIFFes was to bridge the gap between Sandalwood and the festival. However, the festival organisers can do more in promoting their brand ambassador every year to attract a diverse crowd, many felt.
This year, brand ambassador actor Kishore’s photograph was missing in promotional materials, yet the actor ensured he was present at almost all major events. His talks, that blended political themes with movies, were a welcome change. As cinephiles for the next year, there are talks about changing the venue to break the monotony.
There have also been requests to hold the festival in multiple venues to help people choose their convenient location. It is a year-long wait before one can see how shape up in the next edition. Published - March 12, 2025 09:00 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Kannada cinema / Indian cinema / cinema / entertainment (general).
