“Let’s not tell them that our film got all these awards. People won’t even turn up at the cinema if they know that we won so many awards,” says independent filmmaker P.P. Sudevan, in an 8-minute promo video of his film CR No.89 . It is in a way a scathing commentary on the mainstream impression of films that won wide appreciation in the festival circuit.
Cinema halls, even the government-run ones, are generally averse to screening these films. Even if they manage to reach them, shows get cancelled owing to low turnouts. Sudevan’s film and Sajin Baabu’s Unto the Dusk will be released in a few State-run cinemas on June 5, thanks to the recommendations of the Adoor Gopalakrishnan committee, which asked the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) to screen the top Malayalam films at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in its cinema halls.
5,000 passes
Sans big marketing budgets, the two of them have devised creative ways to ensure that the audience reaches the cinemas. Sajin has printed out 5,000 passes, which he has distributed to film societies and cultural organisations.
“People can buy these passes at the price of a ticket and watch the films in the cinema. I remit the money beforehand in the cinema. So, they will know beforehand that these many people will turn up for screenings. This is one way to ensure that no show is cancelled,” says Sajin.
When Unto the Dusk was screened at the IFFK last year, the glass in front of the cinema broke when the crowd pushed ahead. Though Sajin does not expect such crowds in the cinema, he is still hopeful.
YouTube promo
The YouTube promo, starring Sudevan and team, has stirred up some discussion online. He is banking on this, personal messages and word of mouth to get people to the cinema. After cornering the top awards at the IFFK, both of them have been organising small screenings across the State.
“In the past two years, we have screened the film across towns and villages. Close to 100 people turn up for such shows. This is the main source of funding for our films. In fact, CR No.89 was funded fully from the screening of our short films and sales of DVDs,” says Sudevan.
Recently, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan had taken his ‘Cinema vandi’ across the State to screen his film Oraalpokkam .
Sudevan believes that if these two films run for a week in the theatres, it will augur well for Malayalam Cinema.
“Both these films do not have any known face and have unconventional storylines and making. If this succeeds in theatres, it could lead to more such experiments,” he says.
Two independent filmmakers embark on novel ways to ensure audience
for their films.
