BIFFes 2025: Encouraging turnout amid familiar controversies

Controversies surrounding BIFFes did not affect the festival’s spirit, as people beat the scorching heat to watch films from different parts of the world. As is the trend every year, senior citizens and college-goers attended the festival in the majority as BIFFes witnessed a slight increase in footfall this year, compared with the previous edition. During the closing ceremony of the 16th edition of BIFFes, organisers, led by Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy chairman Sadhu Kokila, gleefully mentioned the massive turnout on the final day.

One afternoon last week, an aged man in the Green Line Metro train opened his medicine pouch, popped a tablet, and walked out when the train stopped at Sandalwood Soap Factory stop. With his delegate pass hanging around his neck, and walking with a cane, he headed to Orion Mall, the venue that hosted the week-long annual Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes).

Controversies surrounding BIFFes did not affect the festival’s spirit, as people beat the scorching heat to watch films from different parts of the world. As is the trend every year, senior citizens and college-goers attended the festival in the majority as BIFFes witnessed a slight increase in footfall this year, compared with the previous edition. During the closing ceremony of the 16th edition of BIFFes, organisers, led by Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy chairman Sadhu Kokila, gleefully mentioned the massive turnout on the final day.

Regulars at the festival watched between 25-30 films throughout the week. Anora, Best Picture winner at the 77th Academy Award, witnessed a huge demand as people flocked to see the Oscar winner. The organisers deployed extra volunteers to control the crowd at the screen.

The Retrospective category of the event, which had the works of Shyam Benegal, Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski, and German filmmaker Wim Wenders, received encouraging attendance, said N. Vidyashankar, artistic director of BIFFes. “Most of the movies screened were available on OTT platforms and YouTube. Yet, people came to see them on the big screen. It was wonderful to see them prioritise the experience of watching a film,” he said.

The festival began on an off note, with some Kannada filmmakers accusing the selection panel of the festival of unfairly ignoring their movies. The panel’s transparency was under the scanner as filmmakers complained that their works got rejected without being watched.

The root cause of the problem lies in the State government’s delayed permission for the festival, every year. The late approval and release of funds leave the organisers hardly three weeks to put up the entire show. Generally, there are more than 100 entries in the Kannada Cinema category, and panel members require more time to watch the films more efficiently. In response to the allegations, the organisers were firm that all films were watched by the selection committee.

Vidyashankar also rued the absence of some international delegates at the event due to last-minute communication between the two parties. “Some jury members from the Asian Cinema Category and a couple of international filmmakers couldn’t attend the event as they couldn’t get their Visas approved on time. It always helps if we get the government approval for the festival well in advance.”