PANAJI: Independent short film directors in India have lamented that there are no buyers for their films in India.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing 46th edition of International Film Festival of India, Hari Vishwanath, director of 'Radiopetti', which is the only Tamil film entry in this year's Panaroma section, stated that the film recently won the Best Film Award at the International Bushan Film Festival in Korea but he is yet to find a buyer to help him release his film in India.
"The film has found buyers in the international market in places like Korea but not in India yet. I hope that this film festival will help me find one," he said. 'Radiopetti' tells the tale of an old man Arunachalam who finds solace in his past especially when listening to melodies of his younger days on the vintage radio set, but one days finds himself torn between his music and his family.
The film has been inspired by Vishwanath's own grandfather. "Rather than talk about these memories after his passing away I decided to make a film now to keep these memories alive," he said, adding that his grandfather is yet to see the film. Vishwanath also states that to give the film a real feel they had also used a lot of items of his grandfather from his younger days like spectacles and pencil box.
Bengali director Somnath Chakraborty whose film 'Ujantali' has been selected for the festival also agreed that funding for the film is a problem. “We have submitted the film for a number of film festivals but apart from that we don't know how we will survive as yet,” he said. His film tells the story of an old woman who although forced to live her village in Bangladesh at a young age, yearns for her homeland. And according to Chakraborty the film is a tribute to Ritvik Kumar Gathak who is the only film maker who has made film on the Partition issue so far. “ It seeks to demonstrate that no border can separate one from his or her own land,” he said.
Agreeing with the other directors that recovering the costs of the film is a difficult task, critically acclaimed director Jayaraj who has directed over 35 films in four languages and whose Malayalam film 'Ottaal' ( The Trap) is part of the Panaroma section revealed that he too has hads some bitter experiences previously. “ Around the world when a film wins and Oscar or and Emmy, everyone rushes to see the film, but here even if a film wins an award, there is still no chance of it getting released or finding enough audience,” he stated. 'Ottaal' is an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's timeless works Vanka and deal with the issue of child labour which is still prevalent in the country. Instead of using real actors, Jayaraj has used people that he found while on location to tell this story, which in his opinion gives a genuine feel to the film. “ It is difficult to make a superstar to do this film and to destroy his star mannerisms and behaviour,” he believes. Ottaal is also the first film to be released simultaneously abroad via the online medium.
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IFFI 2015
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The film (Radiopetti) has found buyers in the international market in places like Korea but not in India yet. I hope that this film festival will help me find one
- Hari Vishwanath, Tamil film director
