Smaller towns in Karnataka are getting to see the best of world cinema.
Whoever said that world cinema has an audience only in the metro cities?
The ongoing international film festival organised by the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, together with the Federation of Film Societies in India, has been receiving a better response in the smaller cities than in Bangalore.
In an effort to expose people in tier II and III towns to the best of cinema from across the world, the Karnataka government has organised screenings in Bidar, Shimoga, Dharwad and Mangalore in the first leg of the festival this month. In the second leg in December, screenings will be held at Mysore, Bellary, and Belgaum. The objective is to foster a films culture beyond the urban centres.
Even the organisers are surprised at the response in the smaller cities. “While we have dedicated crowds coming to watch the films in smaller cities, in Bangalore it has more less been a floating crowd,” says academy chairman T S Nagabharana.
The other thing being done differently at this festival is that DVDs of all films are being screened. These are being shown on LCD projectors in auditoriums, not in regular cinemas. This has helped reduce the cost of the festival. “We are exploring new avenues to help serious filmmakers find an alternative to reach non-metro cities,” adds Nagabharana.
This year the movies are being shown in eight cities and towns. Next year, the academy wants to take the festival to all 20 districts in the state,” says Nagabharana .