Film enthusiasts who were unable to get season passes for the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) will be able to attend the event on the last three days. BIFFes will issue day passes from Monday at Orion Mall.
“We have always desisted from issuing day passes till the weekend is over. This year too, we are following the same principle,” said N. Vidyashankar, creative director, BIFFes.
A pass for the remaining three days of the festival, scheduled to end on Wednesday, costs ₹300 and a pass for a single day is priced at ₹100. Sunday recorded the highest footfall since the festival began with almost all shows running at full capacity. “There were 3,000-odd seats at the venue, but the number of attendees seemed to exceed the capacity. Many people had to skip a show to stand in line for the next screening,” said one of the organisers. Oscar-winner Parasite and Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory were the crowd-pullers.
People were queuing up to see films two hours before their scheduled screenings. To help manage the crowds, for the first time, BIFFes issued tokens to people in queues an hour before the screening. This was to ensure others didn’t try to get into the line midway. “The token system was a good idea as people need not stand in line for hours and return disappointed,” said Chidambara, an attendee who was hoping to get a token for Parasite .
National anthem back
The national anthem was played at the beginning of every screening at BIFFes on Sunday. Though the festival began last week, the practice is no longer being followed as PVR Cinemas has discontinued it.
However, Suneel Puranik, chairperson, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, the organiser of the festival, wrote to PVR Cinemas to play the national anthem before every screening. “I know the Supreme Court has held it is not mandatory. But just because it is not mandatory, we need not discontinue the good practice of paying our respect to the country. So I requested the venue partner to play the anthem,” said Mr. Puranik.
However, the reintroduction of the national anthem has not gone down well with many delegates. “Playing the national anthem at every screening five to six times a day only makes it a farce. Why should we prove our patriotism at a film screening? This is an imposition,” said Prasanna L., a film enthusiast.
