DIFF 2024: Why film festivals are the only hope for a dying industry

Last twelvemonth astatine the Dharamshala International Film Festival, I was fortunate to drawback Harshad Nalawade’s Follower, a movie that engages with the terrifying world of gradual radicalisation successful a profoundly sympathetic and quality way. I was the lone 1 of my friends who sat for the screening. I was excited for them to ticker it, astatine immoderate point. Only that constituent ne'er came due to the fact that the movie ne'er got picked up. This year, astatine the aforesaid festival, I missed the much-anticipated screening of Dipaker Banerjee’s Tees owed to the queues caused by the sheer fig of radical who wanted to ticker it. There is simply a definite quiescent desperation wrong these queues, particularly erstwhile they yet bring retired the housefull card, due to the fact that if not present past when, past how.

Instances from the Dharamshala Film Festival 2024. (Image: Instagram)

The parallel cinema question began successful the 1950s with movies similar Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zamin and Satyajit Ray’s Aparajito. The question thrived successful the aboriginal 1980s with captious hits similar Albert Pinto ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai. It yet declined, making mode for the big-budget big-studio Bollywood films of the 1990s. The Film Finance Corporation that became the National Film Development Corporation seemed to person washed its hands disconnected of making definite that the films that depicted the sociopolitical realities of our young federation reached an audience. Funding for these films dwindled. By the 2000s, different benignant of “off-beat” movie emerged, similar Anurag Kashyap’s No Smoking — not 1 that needfully followed the realism and societal commentary of parallel cinema of the past, but 1 that experimented with some trade and message. While these films weren’t needfully immense container bureau successes, they were often fixed a wide merchandise careless of their subject, and whether oregon not they are palatable to a wide audience.

The alteration was stark arsenic we approached the mid-2010s: The emergence of OTT platforms meant that galore films that whitethorn not gully a ample assemblage with a theatrical merchandise were relegated to specified platforms. But astatine slightest they were seen. Films going into streaming had a batch much wiggle country with respect to what they could accidental But with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and the Draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023, norms changed. Platforms person been seen adhering to CBFC norms successful India, simultaneously releasing uncut versions successful different countries. This paranoia whitethorn widen to organisation arsenic well. Of course, gross anxieties cannot beryllium discounted. But comparing releases from 2004 to 2024, we spot similarities — liberal, globalised economies successful a multiplexed epoch — and disheartening differences successful the benignant of “off-beat” films uncovering theatrical space.

We whitethorn beryllium approaching a clip erstwhile we’re excessively callous with what is considered “off-beat”, wherever immoderate movie that isn’t softly supportive of the existent structures, if not wildly appreciative, whitethorn beryllium considered so, which means they are already classified arsenic unsellable, which means they whitethorn ne'er beryllium showcased to an audience. What this looks similar is the authorities of Indian cinema now, wherever the lone films that get wide releases are either ones with unsubtle governmental propaganda oregon masala crowd-pleasers. The cinemas are mostly bereft of thing introspective oregon reflective of the existent times, and portion immoderate films specified arsenic Laapataa Ladies whitethorn transportation immoderate societal messages, the regard is ever towards what tin beryllium easy criticised, specified arsenic the authorities of women successful agrarian India successful the aboriginal 2000s.

Filmmaking is simply a peculiarly brave enactment close now, 1 wherever you whitethorn enactment successful your heart, soul, clip and money, lone for the movie to ne'er get picked up. Film festivals then, travel to the rescue, and portion the docket whitethorn beryllium to get to distributors, the films get immoderate emotion regardless. This is wherefore they’re peculiarly important successful India astatine this juncture. With theatres flooded with lucrative remakes, sequels and re-releases, and a socioeconomic clime hostile to experimental filmmakers, festivals let some filmmakers and movie lovers to ideate an alternative. We whitethorn ne'er get backmost to the times of the parallel cinema question of the 20th century, but determination is simply a satellite of superb cinema successful the state adjacent now, and the anticipation and anxiousness radiating from the lengthy queues astatine these festivals whitethorn not beryllium indicative of the standard of occurrence they whitethorn reach, but the information is undeniable: These films agelong to beryllium watched.

The writer is an LLB pupil astatine Faculty of Law, University of Delhi