Biffes 2025: Encouraging voting amid familiar disputes

Film enthusiasts during the 16th Bangalore International Film Festival at Orion Mall, Bangalore. , Photo courtesy: K Bhagya Prakash

One afternoon last week, an old man in the Green Line Metro train opened his medicine bag, popped a tablet, and when the train stopped at the Sandalwood Soap Factory Stop, went out. His representative is hanging around his neck with a pass, and moving with a cane, he moved towards the Orion Mall, the site that hosted the week -long annual Bengaluru International Film Festival (Bifes).

People lining for screening of films in Biff. , Photo courtesy: K Bhagya Prakash

Disputes around Biffs did not affect the spirit of the festival, as people defeat the scorching heat to watch films from different parts of the world. As a trend every year, senior citizens and college-visitors participated in the festival in the festival as BIFS saw a slight increase in the footfall this year as compared to the previous version. Under the leadership of Sadhu Kokila, president of the Karnataka Chalnachitra Academy, during the closing ceremony of the 16th edition of BIFS, the last day was mentioned.

During the inauguration ceremony of the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival in front of Vidha Saudha. , Photo courtesy: K Bhagya Prakash

Effects movies

Regularly viewed at the festival between 25–30 films throughout the week. Anora, The 77th Academy Awards saw the best picture winner, a big demand as people used to come to see the Oscar winner. The organizers deployed additional volunteers to control the crowd on the screen.

The rebel category of the incident, which was the work of Shyam Benegal, Polish director Krizzatof Keslowski and German filmmaker Vim Vendors, received an encouraging appearance, N. Vidyashankar, the artistic director of BIFS said. “Most of the films were available on OTT platforms and YouTube. Nevertheless, people came to see him on the big screen. He was amazing to prioritize the experience of watching the film, ”he said.

The festival began on an off -note, in which some Kannada filmmakers accused the selection panel of the festival to ignore their films wrongly. The transparency of the panel was under the scanner as the filmmakers complained that they were rejected without looking at their works.

Actor Shabana Azmi received a lifetime achievement award from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at her house. , Photo Credit: Handout e -mail

Delay in approval

The root cause of the problem lies in the state government every year in the delayed permission for the festival. Late approval and release of funds were hardly left for the organizers to complete the entire show. Generally, the Kannada cinema category has more than 100 entries, and panel members need more time to watch films more efficiently. In response to the allegations, the organizers were firm that all films were seen by the selection committee.

Vidyashankar also stopped the absence of some international representatives in the incident due to the final-matches of the two sides. “Some jury members of the Asian cinema category and a couple of international filmmakers could not attend the event as they could not approve their visas on time. This always helps if we receive the government’s approval well in advance. ,

Actor-political Ramya, filmmaker Gautam Vasudev Menon and Masterklas associated with cinematographer Ravi Varman saw a large crowd, as he discussed relevant issues affecting business films. However, some cinefiles felt that the guests’ choice for the sessions belonged to the mainstream cinema, which was very low from the world of orthhouse films.

Violinist, L. Subramaniam is performing during the inauguration ceremony of the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival. , Photo courtesy: K Bhagya Prakash

‘missing people

Like every year, prominent members of the Kannada film industry were missing at the event. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivkumar shook a controversy of the lukewarm presence of members of the film industry for the inauguration ceremony of the festival. In the defect game, the artists complained about not getting official invitation from Chairman Sadhu Kokila.

The idea behind the naming of a popular film personality as the brand ambassador of BIFS was to bridge the gap between sandalwood and the festival. However, the organizers of the festival can do more in promoting their brand ambassadors every year to attract diverse crowds, many felt.

This year, the picture of the brand ambassador actor Kishore was missing in promotional material, yet the actor ensured that he was present in almost all major events. His conversation, which mixes political themes with films, was a welcome change.

As cinefiles for the following year, there are talks about changing the site to break monotony. It has also been requested to organize festivals in many places to help people choose their convenient space. It is a year waiting for one year before anyone can see how the size can increase in the next version.