Shows at the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) got off to a slow start on Thursday but is expected to gather momentum over the weekend. The crowds appeared to warm up towards the evening shows compared to the earlier ones with most action centred around Lido and Fun Cinema.
With around 2,500 registrations so far, many of them youngsters and students, the organisers are expecting a weekend rush.
Teething issuesAs expected, there were some teething problems on the first day of the screenings. People were seen running around for the schedule, which came only towards the afternoon. There were no volunteers in many cinemas to usher in latecomers and some technical glitches like subtitles flowing out of the screen. A participant said he was “irritated” by a restless audience that walked in and out and answered phone calls during the show.
“Some confusion on the first day is inevitable,” said N. Vidyashankar, artistic director of BIFFes. “This happens even at Cannes.”
Full houseA big hit on the opening day was the masterclasses, which had only 125 seats but 150 applicants. “People stood and listened to lectures by Govind Nihalani and G.S. Bhaksar. This was beyond our expectation,” Mr. Vidhashankar said.
