Film Festivals saviours for small movies with unusual story lines, say debut directors

Bengaluru (Karnataka): With OTT space accommodating lesser films that are not popular enough to ‘land on the home page’, film festivals have become the only avenue to connect with the audience, said Kannada filmmaker Shishir Rajmohan, whose ‘Abracadabra’, starring veteran actor Anant Nag, was premiered at the 15th edition of Bangalore International Film Festival on March 2.

“As such, I feel Kannada films are the last in the pecking order when it comes to the OTT curation of South films. But a lot has changed too since the world recouped after Covid. OTT platforms are simply not taking any more chances with small films with unconventional storylines,” Rajmohan told PTI.

Rajmohan’s ‘Abracadabra’, produced by Rakshit Shetty’s Paramvah Studios, is one of the 12 films selected for the Kannada competition section.

“Even though it is produced by Paramvah Studios, the film is not intended for a theatrical release. As we are not very sure about OTT too, as of now, its focus is film festivals. I only wish we got more screenings for the film at the Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFes). We have only got two,” said Rajmohan. The 200 films selected for this year’s BIFFes, which will be on till March 7, include films of legendary directors from across the world, popular Kannada films and those of debut directors, some of which are in languages that are being slowly lost to the world.

One of these films is Uttam Kamati’s Santali-language film ‘Kherwal’.

At a press meet with directors organised on March 3, Kamati had mentioned that his film, which was showcased on March 2, managed to draw only a handful of people even at the festival.

“For films like ‘Kherwal’ that are primarily fueled by a passion for filmmaking, festivals are the only outlet as of now. You see, I am ‘Kherwal’s’ director, producer, scriptwriter and pretty much everything. And if not for film festivals, I will also be its only audience,” Kamati told PTI later.

Incidentally, ‘Kherwal’, which revolves around the dying wish of a Norwegian who breathed his last in a Santhali village, won Kamati the FFSI K R Mohanan award for the best debut director at last year’s International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

Santhosh Mada, whose film ‘Moogajjana Koli’ is in Arebashe (a Kannada dialect spoken primarily by the Gowda community) language, said he knew that he was restricting the scope of his movie if he chose to set it in a language that not many outside Karnataka know about. Despite this, he chose the path less travelled because he wanted to "do something different".

“When I started the project, I meant it to be a children’s film – ‘Moogajjana Koli’ tells the adventure of a 10-year-old girl. But as I was filming it in Sullia in Dakshina Kannada, one of the regions where Arebashe is spoken, I realised I could also showcase the language and the culture of that area and that it does not have to be just a children’s film,” Mada told PTI.

Mada’s debut film, ‘Jeetige’ was in the Tulu language, which incidentally fetched him the 64th National Award under the Tulu cinema category. His ‘Moogajjana Koli’ is winning him accolades too – the girl who played the lead, Gaurika Deepulal, won the Best Child Artist award at last year’s Goa International Film Festival.

“I am aware that my films are never going to get a theatrical release, but I am hoping that one day it will take me to my dream destination – the reason why I make films – Festival de Cannes,” said Mada.

As for filmmaker Unni K R, besides wanting to carve himself a niche in the content-driven Malayalam film space, a desire to tell the world about Mavilan tribes of Kasargod is the reason why he chose to set his film in Markkodi, a tribal language spoken by less than 50,000 people.

“It was a Markkodi song in Tinu Pappachan’s ‘Chaver’ (which is also part of the films curated for 15th BIFFes) that triggered my interest in the language. The more I heard of it, the more I wanted to know not only about the language but also the culture it stems from. Thus was born ‘Onkara’,” said Unni.

Malayalam filmmaker Fazil Razak, whose ‘Thadavu’ is competing for the big prize under the Asian Cinema category in the 15th BIFFes, said film festivals also give him instant feedback.

“When your film is among many contemporary ones exploring new styles of storytelling, you get an opportunity to reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses. This is why I love taking my films to festivals across the world,” said Razak.

Incidentally, ‘Thadavu’ won Razak the prestigious Rajata Chakoram award for Best Debut Director at the IFFK 2023.

Debut directors particularly may feel content to get a platform in film festivals to showcase their labour of love, but the love received in these festivals has also ensured theatrical releases on some occasions, for instance, Utsav Gonwar’s ‘Photo’, a film that documents the migrant exodus during the pandemic. At last year’s BIFFes, ‘Photo’ was selected as the second-best Kannada film and was widely appreciated, catching the eye of actor-activist Prakash Raj, whose production house is presenting the film.

“Exactly a year later, here I am. My film will be released in theatres across Karnataka on March 15. I never thought I would see the day. To reach here, the various film festivals that featured ‘Photo’, including BIFFes where it premiered, played a very important role,” Gonwar told PTI over a phone call.