Having agreed unanimously that they all had a very good experience as jury in IFFI 2017 which has grown in size, content, quality and participation over the years, the jury chairman and filmmaker Muzaffar Ali admitted that while there was a great bonding between the members, it was a gruelling experience to watch four movies a day, most of which were dark.
"It was a great opportunity to be at the festival and to see cinema through the eyes of other members and through our own eyes. We arrived at the final decisions unanimously. Thankfully, there was no controversy and we were open to discuss the films," stated Muzaffar Ali, of Umrao Jaan fame .
The other international jury members were- Russian cinematographer Vladislav Opelyants, UK director and production designer Roger Christian, Israeli actor-director Tzahi Grad and Australian director Maxine Williamson. For Vladislav, who was first time appointed jury in an international film festival, watching films from diverse cultures and languages was fun and a learning experience.
"The films were brilliant and had great cinematography which is a language that all understand, irrespective of their cultural backgrounds. Cinema tells a story and people get related to stories that stir their emotions," said Vladislav who is known for his films 12, The Student and The State Counsellor.
Speaking on his role as a jury, Israeli actor-director Tzahi Grad said, "Though it was my first time as an international jury, when one looks at the art as a cinema, a film, then judging becomes easy. Cinemas tell stories and we get to know different cultures. How it affects one while watching it, makes the difference. That was the strongest point in the whole experience."
Every culture has myths and legends and cinema becomes popular if it showcases that. India is full of stories, myths and legends, so there is wide scope of making films in this land of diverse cultures, added Roger Christian, director and designer from UK with big block busters like Star Wars to his credit. Writer of Cinema Alchemist and an English set decorator, production designer and feature film director, Roger won an Academy Award for his work on the original Star Wars and was Oscar-nominated for his work on Alien.
For Maxine Williamson, who herself has been co-ordinating juries for the last 10 years, it was a positive experience at IFFI. "We spent significant amount of time and had good discussion about the merits of each film. The films were fantastic and it's always difficult to decide, because as jury you would want to award more films, which is not possible. There are films that we loved but which will go empty handed. But, these filmmakers should be proud that their films were selected for competition," said Maxine, director at Brisbane International Film Festival and consultant at Antalya Film Forum and Asia Pacific Screen Academy.
"India has so much talent and so many stories to tell the world. The graph of Indian cinema will go high with days to come. If one can tell an authentic story in an honest way, cinema will be a success. India is lucky to have many languages and cultures which offer a fertile breeding ground for cinema," felt Maxine.
Agreeing on this Muzaffar Ali pointed out that films in multiple languages in different regions are leading to some path breaking cinema. "It is regional cinema that is creating an identity for India. In the competition, there were many regional films which were path breaking and they wouldn't have, otherwise, come out in Bollywood. Once you go into the exploration of cultures, its enormous philosophy, they break the artificial barricades of intolerance," said Muzaffar Ali.
"There is no country, other than India, which has so much diversity, multiple languages and different cultures and faiths - all living together harmoniously. Indeed, India is incredible. It should get the Golden Peacock for the robust languages," expressed Maxine.
