For independent film-makers, getting their works released in cinemas is their biggest desire as well as biggest fear.
It remains a wish for many of them, as they find themselves financially drained and most of the time in debt when they are done with the post-production work. The only way out is to conduct screenings in small venues, with rudimentary projection, and expect a few film buffs to walk in.
But, things are even worse for those who somehow manage to get it released in some of the government-run cinemas, as sans publicity and a sellable face, drawing in crowds is next to impossible. A case in point is the release this week of M.K. Muhammed Koya’s ‘Alif.’ The film had won wide appreciation from the audience when it was screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala here in December.
Two months later, when the same film came to the cinemas, there were just three people to watch the first screening at a government-owned theatre in Thiruvananthapuram. The show was cancelled by the theatre authorities as the number of those who turned up was way below the minimum required to run a show. Now, a B-grade film without any stars facing this fate is understandable, but not when it is a film which won praise at a prestigious film festival, more so, since people were literally jostling with each other to gain entry when it was screened at the festival.
It also raises the question how many of those who attend such festivals are really keen on searching out, watching, and supporting well-made independent films when they are screened without the hype and glamour of a festival venue.
‘Alif’ also seem to be moving towards the fate of many notable films which were hailed only after the DVDs were out and the torrents became available. Then the laments will start on how the public is not supporting independent cinema.
(Reporting by
S.R. Praveen)