Even as the 22nd edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) moved into top gear with animated discussions and an exciting film fare, the Kazhcha International Film Festival (KIFF) played things its way, most notably organising a midnight chat called ‘Bridge’, among filmmakers and cineastes, late Friday night.
Present at the chat were filmmakers Sanalkumar Sasidharan, Sreebala K. Menon, and Shanavas Naranipuzha and a small crowd of actors and film enthusiasts.
‘Clean’ certificate
The filmmakers shared the trials and tribulations they had to face as they went about making films on shoestring budgets. They also expressed their many concerns regarding censorship. They were unequivocal that the regressive and arbitrary patterns of censorship being followed in the country was, perhaps, the greatest injustice that had been meted out to the medium of filmmaking.
The problem of censorship had escalated so much now that the directors had to guarantee the producer that the film would receive a clean ‘U’ certificate. Thus, legal hassles were avoided and satellite rights sold with ease, while art and creativity took the hit. Ms. Sreebala stressed the importance of cultivating healthy support systems within the independent filmmaking community. Moral and economic support was almost felt wanting by most independent filmmakers. Mr. Sasidharan talked about the importance of challenging social stigmas and rising above societal pressure. Filmmakers should rise to the challenge and create works they found meaningful, he felt.
