Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) that began in 2006 has finally been accredited as an international film festival by the International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations. This year’s edition will be held from March 3 to 10. It was not held in 2021 due to the pandemic.
The accreditation, which BIFFes has been trying to get for several years, will put the event on the international film festival calendar. This, in turn, will help organisers broaden their selection of international films. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who chaired a meeting of the BIFFes Organising Committee on Thursday, announced the international accreditation. “I hope this will take the festival to the next level and help build Brand Bengaluru,” he said.
BIFFes is usually held in the second week of February, but has been pushed to the first week of March this year. “The third wave of COVID-19 is expected to abate by the last week of February. So, the Chief Minister suggested holding it in March with the hope that it may provide us 100% occupancy,” said Sunil Puranik, chairperson, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, organiser of the festival.
While the inauguration will be held at Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra, instead of the Vidhana Soudha as has been the practice, the venue of the festival is yet to be decided, he added.
