Seen the film? Meet the maker

Film exhibitor Spice promises audience interactions with filmmakers of artistic repute.

How many times at a threatre has a movie filled you with a strong urge to vault yourself body-n-soul at the screen "" and meet the filmmaker behind the effort?

The questions could be wide and varied. If not why the film ends in a particular way, or the idea behind some shot, then maybe the filmmaker's artistic influences or even creative vision.

Dedicated cinema goers are often besieged with a host of questions they find no answer to. It's this need for interaction that Spice World, a film exhibition firm, plans to address through a unique new initiative called Meet The Filmmaker Programme.

It works like this. Every Saturday, Noida's Spice PVR multiplex will hold a special screening of a film aimed at a discerning cinema audience, followed by a live interaction with the maker of the film.

As a matter of principle, the films selected shall be those that do not suffer overexposure in mainstream media, but are of high interest to the few who appreciate such cinema.

"It's a unique concept which aims at providing audiences a deeper insight into the making of a movie," says Subhojit Lahiri, general manager, cinemas, Spice World, "as well as providing a platform which has hitherto been unavailable to non-commercial cinema."

The interactive initiative has had a trial run in the second week of January, with the screening of Amu, made by LA-based Shonali Bose, starring Konkana Sen Sharma and Brinda Karat. It was followed by award-winning filmmaker Manu Rewal's Chaipani and Dreaming Lhasa.

While the programme takes a break for a Valentine's week of romantic movies starting tomorrow, it returns with Anwar Jamal's Swaraj on February 17, followed byAshish Chanana's Dreams and Johar Kanungo's Nisshabd.

The response to the idea so far has been encouraging, according to Lahiri, though not in terms of footfall count.

"We're banking on the word of mouth to spread. Our audiences include academics, theatre groups and students, apart from avid cinemagoers," says Lahiri.

But does this sort of discerning audience translate into higher earnings for the multiplex? "I'm not looking at a revenue mode," pleads Lahiri, "We don't want to be just another commercial movie playing hall, but one with a difference."

That's probably why Spice World is exploring the possibility of tying up with embassies to hold foreign film festivals. What's more, Spice plans to transform the space near its multiplex landing into an art gallery, which could be followed by a Meet The Artist Programme too.

In all, the innovative efforts could help refine Spice's target audience still further, gaining it high-end recognition as a de facto brand. As a name, that is, with a unique set of associations and values that the discerning crowd may consider worthy of patronage.

Will the efforts let Spice command a premium on tickets? Not yet. But Spice can wait. In sophisticated brand markets, after all, a part of the premium people pay reflects their patronage of the brand that pleases their sensibilities.

A cinema experience with a difference? It's in the name.