Lessons from BIFFes: What not to do next year

It’s been a week since curtains came down on the 14th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes). Many associated with BIFFes and those from the film fraternity are mulling over the lessons that can be learnt from the latest edition of the festival.

Harish Mallya, associated with BIFFes as consulting curator, suggests introducing the audience choice award category as he feels it can boost the morale of some of the filmmakers who deserve it. He adds that the BIFFes YouTube channel must have trailers of all selected films so that people can have a basic idea of them.

He says the master classes should be more hands-on, with practical sessions. He recounts an editing session at a previous film festival by Andrew Bird, a British-born film editor who worked in the German cinema. “After five-six years, when Ram Reddy made ‘Thithi’ (2015), he said he was inspired by that particular master class,” says Mallya.

Read | Social thriller 'Pinki Elli' extends dream run as BIFFes comes to an end

“Earlier, interactions with directors were open to the public,” recounts Mallya, suggesting that this system be brought back so that both the audience and filmmakers can benefit from the interactions, he adds.

Lacking respect

“I think BIFFes is not respected enough. To take BIFFes to the next level, we have to ensure proper processes are in place,” says Mallya, emphasising the importance of reducing politics in the choice of movies and awards, and bringing truly world-class master classes and content to the festival.

“A film festival loses its value when the proceedings are not transparent. BIFFes has already lost a lot of its value. Nobody from the outside cares much because they know the internal politics of filmmakers here,” says Prithvi Konanur, director of ‘Hadinelentu’ (Seventeeners) which won the second-best film award in the Kannada Cinema competition this time.

“I criticised the process even when I got the award for my film ‘Pinki Elli?’ because there was injustice committed against other filmmakers. The same tradition has continued. Nobody seems to care,” he says. “Politics has been there ever since the inception of the festival,” he says.

“There should be guidelines for the selection of films in each category. It’s not rocket science. No amount of lobbying, and phone calls should influence a jury member’s decision,” Konanur says.

“In the Pune film festival, Marathi films are watched by a completely non-Marathi jury,” says Konanur, highlighting the importance of choosing the right kind of jury members who can analyse films in a detached manner.

Training volunteers

The selection of film programmers and various technical and creative crew members is done mostly through previous associations and contacts. Observers feel this makes it impossible for new people to get opportunities. As a result, the same people remain in key positions calling the shots every year.

Getting passes was a big problem, with everyone scrambling for them at the last minute. Most delegates did not receive any confirmation about the availability of passes and where to collect them. A producer, who came to demand complimentary passes, was pushed by Ashok Kashyap, the festival director and Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy chairman, leading to commotion and complaints. Many volunteers could not even recognise dignitaries.

“Sometimes due to various reasons, volunteers may not be familiar with the faces of technicians and directors because they do not come on screen,” says Kashyap. “It reflects poorly on the journalism schools where they study,” he adds.

Mallya says that every year volunteers underwent training so that they can handle communication and coordination better. This time the time available was too short, which resulted in many issues, he adds.

He says registration for the festival, the issue of passes and QR-code-based booking of tickets for the shows must be digitalised, like in the case of the International Film Festival of India conducted in Goa every year. Online viewing of films can also be introduced by leveraging technology. This will reduce long queues and commotion outside the venue, he says.

Fixed date

Kashyap, who took over as the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy chairman on November 7, 2022, says he had just four months to organise the festival. “The Department of Information and Public Relations is being handled by the chief minister, who was busy as this is the election year,” he says.

The Chief Minister had announced last year that the film festival should start on March 3 every year in remembrance of the first talkie film in Kannada, ‘Sati Sulochana’ (1934) was released on this day in 1934. But a government order was not issued on this.

When there is no definite date, it becomes difficult to get funds sanctioned, says Kashyap. He will now have to get the government order issued from the new government that comes to power.

“We aim to take all feedback from this year’s festival and incorporate it in the coming days,” says Kashyap, promising to chalk out timelines and plan at least six months in advance. This is also important in order to retain the Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films (FIAPF) accreditation the BIFFes has, he says.