It appears that besides facilitating film screenings, and meetings between filmmakers and fans, international festivals also inspire people to make their own films. Many participants at the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) are testimony to this.
For instance, P. Sheshadri, who has won seven national awards, decided to make his first film after watching Karunam by Jayaraj at the Delhi International Film Festival. Many young filmmakers at BIFFes say they were inspired by films they watched at the city’s film festival, organised earlier by Suchitra Film Society and now by the Karnataka government.
Suneel Raghavendra, whose Puta Tirigisi Nodi, competing in the Kannada competition section, is a product of BIFFes. He grew up in a family where theatre, music and cinema were discussed on a regular basis. After attending the festivals, his went to Prague to study screen writing and direction. He has realised his dream of seeing his own film at BIFFes. “I am indebted to film festivals without which my dream could not have been realised,” he told The Hindu .
Similar is the case of Manjunatha Somashekara Reddy, popular as Mansore in film circles. His debut venture Harivu was screened at the 7 BIFFes and the Delhi International Film Festival, and bagged a National Award in 2015. “I was exposed to sink sound technology at BIFFes, which came as a blessing while making Harivu ,” he said.
Ere Gowda, who co-scripted- Thithi , directed by Raam Reddy, was also inspired by film festivals.
New independent filmmaker Sandeep Kumar, who’s Chirukumara won appreciation, is also a product of film festivals. “Film festivals offer an opportunity to interact with people engaged in the craft and offer a glimpse of the way cinema is being made across the globe,” he said.
O.P. Srivastava, an investment banker-turned-filmmaker, who made Life in Metaphors-A portrait of Girish Kasaravalli , echoes similar views. He was a regular at film festivals. “When I first met Girish Kasaravalli at the Goa International Film Festival, where the filmmaker conducted a master class, I was stumped by his oeuvre, especially Dweepa . I realised that this is the kind of filmmaker I wanted to be.” Mr. Srivastava’s film is being screened in the biopic section of BIFFes.
