Moviegoers around the world, including me, can’t wait!
We can trace the birth of film festivals to the 1920s, the era of flappers, and the commercialization of Hollywood. Seeing the rise in popularity of Hollywood, film societies were formed in France with a focus on non-commercial films from independent and underprivileged productions.
The film festivals began with the goal of promoting the vision and popularizing the stories of the independent filmmaker, and they continue their mission today as well, with greater fury and admiration.
However, this may not be the case everywhere. When we compare international film festivals with Indian film festivals, a stark reality emerges. On average, the best film festivals in India have a limited attendance of a few thousand, while most international film festivals have an influx of approximately 500,000 people. The difference is also shown in the number of movie presentations and screenings on the Indian and world stage.
Below are the top 5 international and Indian film festivals:
INTERNATIONAL-
Cannes Film Festival:
The Cannes Film Festival needs no introduction. Officially founded in 1946, the Cannes Film Festival is now recognized as the epitome of prestige by filmmakers around the world.
Sundance Film Festival:
It started in 1985 and is now the largest independent film festival in the United States of America. In 2017, it saw more than 13,000 submissions from filmmakers around the world.
Berlin Film Festival:
Popularly known as Berlinale, the Berlin Film Festival was founded for the first time in 1951. At its 68th edition, held in 2017, the festival had around 2000 participants in various categories. Nearly 500,000 moviegoers from around the world attended.
Toronto International Film Festival:
Under the name TIFF, this festival was founded in 1976 as the Toronto Festival of Festivals to showcase the best films from around the world. The 2016 Tiff had 6,933 performances and was attended by 480,000 people.
Venice Film Festival:
With the title of the oldest Film Festival, it started as part of the Venice Biennale in 1895! It saw its 74th edition in 2017 and had more than 500,000 footfalls in the 10-day event.
NATIONAL-
MOMMY:
The Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) is back with the 19th Mumbai Film Festival taking place from October 12-18, 2017. Founded in 1997, MAMI is now one of the largest film festivals in India. In its 17th edition, MAMI was shown on more than 200 screens in 58 countries and was attended by 7,000 delegates.
Kerala International Film Festival:
This festival started in 1996 and since then it has become a highly prestigious platform. This festival also has a special focus on regional cinema. The competitive part of the festival screens only 14 selected films.
Kolkata International Film Festival:
It was founded in 1995 and was inspired by geniuses like Satyajit Ray, RitwikGhatak, and Mrinal Sen. This year the festival has 553 entries that are cumulative of the Short and Feature Films categories.
International Film Festival of India, Goa:
Regarded as one of the oldest Indian film festivals, (IFFI) was founded in 1952. In 2016, IFFI had more than 1000 entries from 100 different countries around the world.
Dharamshala International Film Festival:
A relatively young festival, the DIFF started in 2012 and was attended by more than 5,000 people who saw 22 films that were screened. In 2016, this festival screened more than 40 films.
The big difference in the numbers seems worrisome. Sure, it can be argued that it is not fair to compare India to a global scenario. However, India is home to Bollywood, the largest film producer in the world. Indians have been watching and sponsoring movies for over a century! But the reality is that independent cinema in India has to fight to be recognized.
To give the much needed boost to independent films in India, we are seeing an increase in the number of film festivals. Recently, MAMI also partnered with broadcaster Tata Sky to bring film festivals to the comfort of your home, read all about it here. All we can hope for is that with continued efforts and awareness, independent films will get the kind of platform and audience they deserve.
