Govt plans mini fests

BENGALURU: In order to take “good cinema“ to a larger audience, the state government is considering holding mini film festivals across districts. The idea is to showcase a bunch of content films in Kannada and other languages in smaller towns. “There has been a demand for similar fests from places like Gulbarga, Hubli-Dharwad and Mangaluru,"said SV Rajendra Singh Babu, festival director and chairman of Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy.
Asked if Biffes could be held during a specific time of the year so as to draw more crowds from India and abroad, Babu said formation of a `directorate of film festival' could help streamline things. “The CM has given in-principle approval for the establishment of such a directorate. It will be established on the lines of the one in Kerala, which has been organizing film festivals for many years,“ he added.
“The ongoing film festival in Bengaluru and Mysuru has received over 50 delegates from countries like Japan, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Malaysia and Kazakhstan, among others. The government has also promised the setting up of a mega convention centre near KIA, which can accommodate 3,000 people.Such a facility will enhance the value of film festivals in future,"said Jayamala, MLC and artistic director.