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Film festival for few?

Film fest Stills from the films Grahanam, Thodu, The last farmer and Sira

It’s like having water everywhere and not many quenching their thirst in spite of the bountiful. At the first international film festival organised in the city by Vizag Film Society to commemorate 50 years of the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI), founded by legendary film maker Satyajit Ray who brought international recognition to Indian cinema, audience was sparse.

That too, in spite of having some fine films like the Song of Sparrows, the inaugural film from Iran or Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring from Korea or Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita that were sent as a package for screening. Criticism ranged from charging the organisers with failure to overcome the limitations and conducting it like one of their regular screenings to merely filling the bill by getting the package from FFSI but not reaching it to people.

“They should have involved a wider cross section of people and broad-based it by forming a board, chief advisor, festival director etc. by associating persons with stature and involvement in the films with the festival,” says M.V. Raghu, cinematographer and director, vice-president of Hyderabad Film Club and co-director for the Hyderabad International Film Festival in 2007 and 2008. He was present during the five-day festival in the city last month.

Reaching people by extensive coverage in the media, outdoor publicity, inviting a prominent film personality associated with parallel cinema and celebrity directors would have attracted more attention and audience, he feels. But that needs more money. In contrast, the festival in Vijayawada drew more audience in spite of the city being hit by floods before the start.

Mr. Raghu faults the media too. The festival drew audience for films like Thodu and Ankuram and highlighting it would have helped the cause of good films. But the thin attendance at the open forum got undue attention, he points out.

It is the shoe-string budget (from which the auditorium rent was also met) that has done in the fete, admits Narava Prakasa Rao, VFS honorary secretary. “We have done it on our own and the required money of about Rs.1.5 lakhs was raised by bringing out a souvenir and spending our own money,” he says. There were 150 to 200 people for the afternoon and evening screenings. The timing (of the festival and shows) was bad, he admits. The festival should have been conducted on holidays and without morning shows, he says with hindsight. Even as he admits failure to reach a wider public, he faults the audience for not having an understanding of parallel cinema and developing a film culture.

But he strikes an optimistic note: “We are not fully satisfied. But we are not discouraged either. It’s our mistake that we have failed to tap corporate sponsors. We have learnt from our experience and will do more homework for the next festival. We will start two months in advance.”

Only if good films tap the potential of audience to appreciate the fare at the festival, it will promote the cause of alternative cinema.

G.V.Prasada Sarma

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