As curtains come down on Thursday on the 9th edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes), the importance of a full-fledged Directorate of BIFFes headed by a person with sound experience of conducting festivals is being stressed by film makers and critics.
Experts The Hindu spoke to emphasised the need of having a permanent Directorate of BIFFes on the lines of Directorate of International Film Festival of India (IFFI)-Goa that works round the year. The technical snags during the screening and absence of renowned cine personalities at the BIFFes further emphasises the need for such a body, they said.
Currently there is a BIFFes cell in the Department of Information, but the festival of the city is yet to have a permanent directorate or a calendar. It is the absence of the calendar that has denied the fest recognition from International Federation of Film Producers Association (IFFPA), based in Paris, which is in charge of regulating IFFs.
Film-maker P. Sheshadri said that BIFFes is slowly getting its own identity, but a directorate will help improve quality. "It should become a matter of prestige for film makers across the globe to showcase their work in BIFFes and film marketing people consider Bengaluru as a place for potential market for the film,” he said.
Literary and film academician N. Manu Chakravarthy, who selected films for International section of BIFFes, observed that since the State is involved in administration and creating logistics for the festival, there should be separate directorate. “The bureaucracy should leave the responsibility of selection of films and juries to Artistic Director. Directorate should be autonomous," he noted.
Cinematographer G.S. Bhaskar said that though he was interested in bringing renowned cinematographer of Killing Fields and Missing Fame, Chris Menges, to the festival, it was not possible because of the absence of a permanent calendar with date slots fixed. “Menges expressed his inability to attend because of clash of dates,” he said.
H.N. Narahari Rao, former artistic director BIFFes, argued that finally it is the artistic director who is the soul of any International Film Festivals, as he is responsible for the content. "Organising the festival and logistics issues are secondary. Every festival will have its own identity. An experienced Artistic Director can get that unique identity to BIFFes," he opined.
