Move over Panaji, Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai…Now small hill stations and towns host film festivals that display as much passion and commitment to good cinema

For the last three years, a hill station at Dharamshala has been hosting a film festival. November is that time of the year, when everyone, including Tibetan monks, craftswomen, students and local school children in the area gear up for the four-day film festival.
The festival has sparked off a film viewing culture in the town of McLeod Ganj, where there is hardly any movie theatre. The dream to bring independent cinema to the mountains was a vision of Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam.
The film maker couple, who ran an independent film production company in London in 1990 returned to Dharamshala 20 years ago. “This town does not have a film viewing culture as there are no theatres to screen films. The locals only watch television. Our aim was to start a film viewing culture in town. Last year, around 2000 people came. It has doubled this year,” says Ritu.
Move over Panaji, Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai….Small towns in the country are bringing in a fresh perspective and screening independent and regional cinema.
At VIBGYOR International Short and Documentary Film Festival, Thrissur, activism joins hands with cinema. It began in 2006, thanks to the initiative of Chetana Media Institute (Thrissur), Nottam (Kerala) and Abhivyakti Media for Development (Nashik), with the support of film societies. The festival uses cinema as a meeting point for discussions on environment, people’s movements and local struggles. “We have been branded as an activist film festival. But, we do emphasise on experimentation of content and form and make sure we give marginalised voices an attentive listening,” says Benedict Varghese, the organiser. of the festival.
The first ever public film screening in Kerala was held in Thrissur, says Gopinathan who also hails from the same city. “Thrissur also has the oldest theatre in Kerala. The city has always had an innate film culture.” Gopinathan and his team of film lovers have been actively involved in organising a International Film Festival of Thrissur(IFFT) for the last 10 years. He says small town film festivals should be encouraged by the Government and local administrative bodies. “Every year, we get an average of 500 to 1000 participants, but we could do with more volunteers and funds. By decentralizing the festivals, the Government can boost the local film movements and also contain the unmanageable crowd that throngs at IFFK, Thiruvananthapuram.” Coimbatore also keeps its love for cinema alive through campus film festivals and screenings. The Konangal Film Society has contributed to the city’s active film viewing culture. It all began with screenings on someone’s small terrace. at a dingy small home outlet selling diary products, where S. Anand a film buff along with his friends screened world classics. Now, they have shifted to a school auditorium, but the enthusiasm of the members has not faded. They have conducted retrospective fests offilmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman, Ray, Hitchcock, Ritwik Ghatak… followed by discussions. “Cinema is for the people. And if you hold a film screening, you should allow everyone to have a say in it; not just the experts,” feels Anand about the discussions that always follow the screening. However, Anand says, they lack a strong-willed team of volunteers. “Proper theatres must be arranged for projection. The biggest advantage of festivals like IFFI is that they have money to bring the latest films from across the world.” Anand strongly believes that campuses have a huge role to play in keeping the culture of cinema alive. Ritu agrees that there are several hurdles, but at the end of the day, “it is great to see the sheer energy and spirit of the people. We also give free passes to school students. Cinema is also a medium to sensitize people to issues in the world.” The best thing about a small town festival is that everyone knows each other, says Gopinathan. “At IFFT, you will definitely bump into your old classmate or college professor if you are from Thrissur. It becomes a very personal experience. That is the beauty of a film festival. Cinema is a collective experience. When you watch an amazing film, you have to discuss it with someone and let it out of your system. Cinema, as a medium, demands that mutual exchange of ideas.”