Annual Filgrimage

Most of the film festivals around us were conceived before a time when the numerous OTT platforms or even the Internet was a thing. Those days, we could only watch the movies that were screened in the cinemas near us. Film festivals were probably the only way to get a taste of cinema from around the world.

Now, of course, times have changed so much that a South Korean TV show was the biggest hit of the past year worldwide. We have digital platforms offering carefully curated, critically acclaimed movies. Content has never been more accessible.

In such a time, have film festivals lost their relevance? One look at the huge crowds who turned up for this year’s IFFK would tell you the answer is a big, loud NO.

Film festivals are all about movies, and yet not only about watching them. The feeling of a community action that you get when you see co-delegates with their clothe-bags and id tags, the adrenaline rush from the careful scrutiny of the screening schedule to pick the films matching your taste, the run from one venue to another - often ignoring hunger and fatigue, the sheer joy of watching beautiful stories from distant cultures unfurling on the silver screen, the interactions with people from the industry discussing various aspects of filmmaking - all these contribute in making film festivals the unique experiences they are.

My exposure to film festivals has been limited to IFFK, and the five times I have experienced the fest has only strengthened my resolve to attend more editions in the future. Of course, not all movies that I have watched have satisfied the viewer in me. Each movie is a gamble, and we need to gamble our way forward hoping each one delivers. For a cineholic, a film festival is an annual pilgrimage. Our Amarnath Yatra, our Hajj, our Vatican City Pilgrimage. Except, we know what we are going to see is something born from a figment of imagination on someone’s mind.

Comments

Familial Cowswami

Last day, I had the misfortune of interacting with the husband of one of my cousins at a family event. Since we’ve already established my feelings toward him, let me clarify that he is not an evil person. It’s just that our ideologies and outlooks toward life could poetically be described as Yin-Yang—completely opposite, with no common ground. That’s fine; everyone is entitled to their vision, as long as they don’t try to claim their vision as the only correct one and attempt to shove it on others who haven’t asked for advice. After exchanging pleasantries, we got down to the “real talk.” He started by asking me why I am still sticking around here (India) and not moving abroad. To set the context, he has been working in the Middle East ever since I first met him at my cousin’s wedding, around fourteen years ago. His wife and kids, who used to live with him, recently moved to Canada, possibly to settle there once he retires. Of course, moving abroad seems to be the trend (or even the no...

The Nation Needs to Know How To Hold the Government Accountable

Imagine you are visiting a cafe. You sit down at a table. A waiter offers you a menu card. You order an orange juice without sugar. Ten minutes later, the waiter returns and serves you a glass of orange juice. You take a sip. You realize that the juice has sugar. The waiter has either forgotten or ignored your request. Now, if you are someone who is uncomfortable with confrontations, you would probably curse your luck and have the juice with the added sugar. But most people would choose to raise the issue with the waiter. They asked for a product and are paying for it, and they are within every right to question if the establishment fails to provide what was promised. Forget raising the issue amicably, we have seen people taking to social media, ranting about how they have been deceived by some restaurants, who gave them chicken when they had asked for vegetarian food. Again, the customer has the right to demand what they want and hold the provider accountable if they fail to do so. Th...

Book Review : Scion Of Ikshvaku

Author : Amish Tripathi Genre : Mythological Fantasy Published On : 22 June 2015 Watch trailer on Youtube Buy Online! As the makers put it, this first installment of the Ram Chandra series is the most awaited literary blockbuster of the year. The frenzied wait had its effect on me, as I had pre-ordered a copy, days before its release. Obviously, the most weighted factor which prompted me into this craze was The Shiva Trilogy, the previous work of the boring banker turned happy author. Shiva Trilogy achieved its cult status for two major reasons: a) the plot being discussed offered a welcome change from the modern day love stories that had mushroomed up in the post Chetan era. b) The author had meticulously researched through Vedas and other ancient texts, and had reconstructed the very image of Shiva, into a very capable man rather than a miracle performing God. To quote the First City, Amish had succeeded on reintroducing Hindu mythology to the youth of t...

can you vish?

Search This Blog