B’lore international film fest from Dec 22

B’lore international film fest from Dec 22
deccan Herald
The eight-day festival is dedicated to the memory of Kannada matinee icon Rajkumar, and will be inaugurated on December 21, at the Chowdaiah Memorial Hall.

The Goan experience might have left a bitter taste in the mouth of movie-lovers in Karnataka. But they can surely count on this. Bangalore will join the league of world cities hosting annual international film festivals with its maiden ‘Suchitra Bengalooru International Film Festival’, which takes off on December 22.

The eight-day festival is dedicated to the memory of Kannada matinee icon Rajkumar, and will be inaugurated on December 21, at the Chowdaiah Memorial Hall.

The organisers - Suchitra Film Society have joined hands with the State government and Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, to host the event, which will screen films in various categories - world classics (7), Indian classics (8), retrospective (3), V K Murthy retrospective (4), contemporary Indian cinema (7) and cinema of the world (42). Three theatres - Movieland, Tribhuvan and Kailash will screen the films and will also host a photo exhibition.


‘Suvarna’ cinema

To mark the Suvarna Karnataka year, a special festival of 35 select Kannada films - from violin T Chowdaiah starrer ‘Vani’ to the latest blockbuster, will narrate the journey of Kannada cinema since its inception.

“Kannada film industry has not yet made a mark in the global or even national scene. Our idea is to bring films from across the world on a common platform, even as we draw attention to the Kannada film industry,” said Girish Kasaravalli, who is heading the film committee to select the films for the festival. “We want to showcase films that bring out their cultural identities, depict the social fabric and economical situation of their home countries. Tracking down good films and filmmakers from lesser known countries like Myanmar or Bangladesh is also our look-out,” added Mr Kasaravalli.

New beginning

“After the Centre (Ministry of Information and Broadcast) stopped hosting biennial international film festivals at New Delhi, and shifted it to major film producing cities, the action moved to Goa. While, metros like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are increasingly hosting private festivals, Bangalore will now catch up with the rest of them. We want to bring Bangalore and Kannada films into the limelight,” said Mr Vidyashankar, president of Suchitra Film Society.

“The state government is supporting the event and has helped get films from its archives. We also hope to get some financial support from them,” he added.

Serious entry

Entry to all screenings will be only through seasonal delegate passes. “Cinema is serious business and we don’t want people walking in and walking out at leisure,” asserted Mr Kasaravalli, while adding that panel discussions, interaction with international and national directors will be restricted to the enrolled delegates and the media.

For details contact SFS, B V Karanth Road, Banashankari, II Stage, Bangalore, or call 26711785. Email suchitrafilms@rediffmail.com