Awaiting international recognition:

Criteria for international recognition

To obtain recognition, a film festival should be held for six consecutive years during a particular period in a calendar year at a permanent venue, says BIFFes Artistic Director H.N. Narahari Rao.

BIFFes is being held in a few theatres across the city and the dates for the event have kept changing every year. Unlike BIFFes, the dates for all internationally-recognised festivals are fixed. The Department of Information has a plan to organise BIFFes at a permanent venue, which is coming up at Nandini Layout. Named Amritotsava Bhavana, it will have at least five screens.

To put BIFFes on the international circuit, Mr. Rao says, it is necessary to have a directorate to organise the event. In the absence of a directorate, there is a delay in taking decisions related to the conduct of BIFFes. It also limits the ability to get the best films because of bookings made by the directorates of other festivals, he explained. “Once these hurdles are crossed, BIFFes would get international recognition,” Mr. Rao said.

National award-winning filmmaker B. Suresh is of the opinion that there should be a curator with tenure of three years, and a team of seven to assist him or her in organising the event. A permanent date on the calendar will help in persuading film personalities attending the other four festivals in the country to turn up at BIFFes and create a world market for regional films.

The international circuit

FIAPF was started in 1933. It is based in Paris. It comprises 30 members representing 27 leading countries in the field of audio-visual productions. It is in charge of regulating international film festivals, including the ones at Cannes, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, Berlin, Toronto and Montreal.

“Over 1,300 international film festivals are being held around the world every year. Of these, only 52 have got recognition from FIAPF,” said Mr. Rao.