There is nothing greater than content

BANGALORE: T S Nagabharana has many feathers in his cap. Apart from being a critically acclaimed Kannada movie director, he is the chairman of the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy. He is one of the pioneers who bridged the gap between art house and mainstream cinema. The latest addition to his list of achievements is being the Director of the esteemed Bangalore International Film Festival going on this week. In a chat with City Express, Nagabharana talks about the festival which is on its fourth day and the response it has received with obvious love and pride.How is the festival going so far? How is the response?So far it has been great and day after day the festival is progressing towards new levels of success. There has been fantastic response especially from the film fraternity and public. Sunday is a holiday so huge crowds were expected but even on Monday the crowd has poured in much to our pleasure.What is the highlight of the festival?BIFFES shows the identity of Indian cinema. It shows the love of cinema. It is a classic film festival. Our Nostalgia series is definitely the high point of the show. It is popular opinion among film-makers that the respect for the past through the screening of vintage classics has set this film festival apart. I quote another film-maker  — Respect for the past creates the present and provides the vision for the future.Many students and youngsters are seen at the screenings. Has the festival broken its image of being only for a niche audience?Yes there has indeed been a fantastic response which we expected and hence we arranged for daily passes where one can catch all four shows in a day. It’s a great pleasure that the public is actively participating. We have segregated the screenings across Bangalore in nine theatres for the purpose.Some were suggesting that the movies be screened on a rotational basis so that if they miss one screening they can catch it elsewhere. Yes, that’s why we selected the best movies to be screened twice.Are there any discussions on the films being screened?There are many discussions and press meets that we are conducting with film-makers. In the afternoons we are holding open forums where discussions will be held. In the Information department we are holding numerous workshops like the workshop on future of cinema, digital cinema, secure film distribution and other film-related workshops. One important aspect of this festival is that we are trying to make the future of cinema better. With the future in mind we are screening the kind of movies we have and conducting such workshops.What are the jurors looking for in the films?Content, content, content. There is nothing greater than content. Each festival looks at the content and so are we. It is the core and heart of a movie. The next is technique.Any hiccups so far?Like any initiative of this scale there are some hiccups. We have people bringing young children for adult movies. They come from far off places and we sympathise but at the same time can’t allow the kids to watch violence and it is tough convincing the parents. A festival culture needs to be maintained. By and large Bangaloreans are a great audience for festivals but a few such bumps are expected.What about the next film festival?Hopefully we will have one every year. We are planning to do one next year.