Festival Diaries

Nearly a decade ago,filmmaker Irfan Kamal came up with a story for a film on child abandonment. With a subject this serious and no stars,it took Kamal six years before he could get funding for the project.

Nearly a decade ago,filmmaker Irfan Kamal came up with a story for a film on child abandonment. With a subject this serious and no stars,it took Kamal six years before he could get funding for the project. A few friends from Quantum Films agreed to produce the film in 2007, he says. Few months later,Thanks Maa premiered at the International Film Festival of India in Goa and was later screened at international film festivals in Edinburgh,Pusan,Montreal,Cannes and California. And later this month,the lead protagonist,13-year-old Shams Patel,will be picking up a National Award.

It may all sound fairytale-like,but even on the eve of his films release,the 29-year-old filmmakers challenges are far from over. This reminds me of Ritwik Ghataks quote: Rows and rows of fences. Despite having received critical acclaim,no corporate or sizeable financier came forth to help release the film. Quantum and I have had to pool our limited resources to release Thanks Maa in India, says Kamal.

Sadly,Kamals scenario isnt an aberration. Indie films have always faced uncertainties. It has been long known that financiers consider such projects financially unviable. These films have only recently entered the mainstream arena with the advent of what we call the multiplex audience. However,several examples in the past have proved that success in the festival circuit need not necessarily translate into box office success.

Actor-filmmaker Rajat Kapoors book shelf is lined with festival trophies for his directorial debut Raghu Romeo,which,in India,could be termed as a colossal flop. Anurag Kashyap may have similar tales to tell about his Black Friday. Siddharth Roy Kapur,the CEO of UTV Motion Pictures,which is associated with Harishchandrachi Factory and also Aamir Khans Peepli Live,admits that the gap between critical acclaim and commercial success exists. UTVs strategy is to spread out across genres. Yet we do look at commercial viability before choosing the projects. But getting selected at various international film festivals has never guaranteed success.

Kapur admits that they had a pleasant experience in Maharashtra with Harishchandrachi Factory but UTV s plan to release for an all-India release didnt work and the film finally released only in Delhi outside of Maharashtra. But in case of Peepli Live,we are relying on Aamirs association to help draw Indian audience, he adds. Anusha Rizvi,the director of Peepli Live,too has her apprehensions. We premiered at the Berlin Film Festival,where buyers from Germany,Poland and Austria approached us. But in India,the only international film festival we really follow is Cannes.

It is heartening,however,that the line dividing the festival circuit films and commercial movies is thinning. Omkara is only one such example.

Dev Benegals Road,Movie,a Studio 18 venture,which releases today,may prove to be one such film and commercially,manage to keep its head well above water. It has extensively toured the festival circuitToronto,Doha,Tribeca,Berlin and Tokyo. It has also generated mainstream sales in Australia and New Zealand,Germany,Israel and Benelux. But its the presence of Bollywoods latest hottie Abhay Deol thats expected to do the trick in the Indian market.

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Kapoors Fatso,a Pritish Nandy Communications film,will be soon travelling to Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles to test the waters before its India release in April. While the director is happy that there is at least a section of audience watching his films at festivals,the production house is considering this as a positive indication. International film festivals definitely give credibility and generate interest at the global as well as Indian platform, remarks Ram Kamal Mukherjee,V-P,PNC.

Being predominantly English,Studio 18s next,Its a Wonderful Afterlife by Gurinder Chadha,faces a challenge of a different kind. It has collected rave reviews at a number of festivals,including Cannes and Sundance. Still Tanuj Garg,the head of Studio 18s international marketing and syndication for UK and Europe,is doubtful about how it will fare in India. The stamps of festivals covered might look impressive on movie posters,but its not yet a passport to box-office success.

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Festival Diaries

Nearly a decade ago,filmmaker Irfan Kamal came up with a story for a film on child abandonment. With a subject this serious and no stars,it took Kamal six years before he could get funding for the project.

Nearly a decade ago,filmmaker Irfan Kamal came up with a story for a film on child abandonment. With a subject this serious and no stars,it took Kamal six years before he could get funding for the project.