Interview: ‘Nasir’ director Arun Karthick on film festivals, streaming platforms, and more

Ahead of the Panchajanyam International Film Festival, filmmaker Arun Karthick talks about the importance of film culture, being an independent filmmaker and more

The 14th edition of the Panchajanyam International Film Festival will commence on February 2 at the Kairali-Sree Theatre in Chittoor, Palakkad. It might not be the biggest of film festivals- it doesn’t boast a star-studded guest list or visits of auteurs from abroad - yet it, and other small-scale festivals, are essential for a film community’s growth. Kerala, especially, has more of these festivals. This should be correlated to the state’s reputation for consistently creating critically acclaimed mainstream cinema. At least, that’s what Coimbatore-based filmmaker Arun Karthick believes. Arun, who made the superbly poignant Nasir (an independent Tamil film won the NETPAC award for Best Asian Film at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam), will curate the Indian Experimental Cinema section at Panchajanyam. 

In this interview, Arun discusses the importance of film festivals, the increasing influence of streaming platforms on Indian cinema, the difficulties of being an independent filmmaker, and more.

Excerpts:-