Missing from PIFF platter, promised Kebab & Horoscope

Sandhya Kulkarni, a senior citizen who had come from Aundh to watch another film said, “It is mismanagement. I came to the theatre early in the morning to catch a Croatian film Cowboy scheduled at 9 am. That was run without English subtitles,” Kulkarni said. A PIFF counter at INOX did not have any schedule till afternoon. “I have been attending PIFF for several years. This is the first time I have encountered something like this,” she said.”

“Such problems happen due to technical errors, which are rare. We will look into it and rectify it. Films run without subtitles will be run again for PIFF lovers,” said Jabbar Patel, Director, PIFF.

On Friday, delegates who reached Mangla Theatre — screening PIFF films for the first time — were disappointed. Over 50 delegates had gathered at the mulitplex at 9 am to watch Polish comedy Kebab and Horoscope and German film Stations of The Cross, but patrons weren’t allowed to enter the theatre and the management said screenings were delayed due to a technical glitch. About half-an-hour later, the audience were seated for screening of the Stations of The Cross but were shown Falling Star instead. The audience protested but the organisers didn’t change the movie. Kebab and Horoscope wasn’t screened at all.

There were hiccups at the inaugural function on Thursday evening. Delegates and guests faced several problems. The ceremony at Screen 1 of the City Pride Kothrud was not relayed to other screens. Guests, including dignitaries and media representatives struggled to find seats. Veteran journalist Dileep Padgaonkar wasn’t an exception. During the opening ceremony, the organisers were embarrassed when an irate patron started shouting during the performance of percussionist Taufiq Qureshi, who was forced to stop his performance.

Many patrons were angry that the performance was not relayed to Screen 2 as promised.