The world according to film fests

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  PARSHATHY J.NATH decides to attend at least one film festival a year because it transforms the way she looks at the world around her

  COIMBATORE: I am a big fan of masala films. I love to watch my favourite stars on the big screen and never fail to whistle and hoot. But I make it a point to mark my calendar for a film festival, anywhere in the country. This is my sole chance to see works of master filmmakers, enjoy rare foreign cinema on the big screen and meet interesting people.

  So, this time, I packed my bags for Goa to attend the International Film Festival of India 2015, determined to watch as many films as I possibly could in two days. There was no time to binge on meals or visit tourist traps. Cinema was all. On both days I was there, I started off with a plate of hot vada pav and chai from adhaba near the festival venue. The festival experience begins right there with delegates frequenting the place. One can eavesdrop on their conversation — about regional cinema, FTII protests, and even world politics. Fights break out over issues ranging from the French New Wave and Kurosawa to the civil war in Syria.

  A film festival teaches us that when we discuss world cinema, we cannot ignore what’s happening in the world. I realised this as I watched Labyrinth of Lies, directed by Giulio Ricciarelli and Battle for Sevastopol (Russia) directed by Sergeiy Mokritskiy. The Ricciarelli film, an investigative thriller, portrays the horrific Auschwitz Camp during the Nazi era. The latter is about a tough Russian soldier called Lyudmila, who battled Hitler’s army, but was used as a pawn by the Russians for their political interests. None of the films suffers from the ‘Happy Ending’ syndrome or the ‘One-crore club’ expectations. Disconnected families do not have to fit into picture-perfect frames, and not all conflicts are resolved in the Swiss Alps. The films are a genuine enquiry by the filmmaker about human relationships and social issues.

  Valley of Love, directed by Guillaume Nicloux, is about a divorced couple who go on a holiday planned by their dead son, who promises them he will meet them at the end of their journey. The film does not show the return of the dead son or the union of the parents. The audience is left lurching in the whirlpool of emotions. But the husband and wife learn to swallow their pain and move on, just like how we would too in real life.

  Film festivals are also a great balm to the soul. We know we are not the only ones suffering. Boundaries blur as we identify with conflicts happening in other countries. How else could I relate to rebellious teenagers from Turkey who battle with a repressive climate at home in Mustang, a Turkish film directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven? The film is about five sisters, who boldly negotiate with sexuality, freedom and desires. Finally, two of them run away from their home. It was cathartic to watch the film and all of us wiped tears away.

  These long hours I spent in the dark cinema halls have shaped my sense of cinema and urged me to see it not just as time pass, but as works of art with cultural relevance.

  More importantly, I make new friends every year. There is nothing more powerful than a ‘Film festival brotherhood’. It defies language barriers, as cinema is the only language we speak there. I can bond with a Korean or a Spaniard over Godard’s new wave cinema! Some people I met in the festival two years ago are still my IFFI buddies. That includes directors from across the seas, with whom I still correspond over email.

  So, fellow film buffs, do mark your calendars for the 2016 film festival. Let the annual pilgrimage begin!

  Love for cinema Festival venue in Goa
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  A still from Mustang
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  Festival venue in Goa
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  Audience at IFFI
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  A still from Valley of Love
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  A still from Valley of Love 

• PARSHATHY J.NATH decides to attend at least one film festival a year because it transforms the way she looks at the world around her

  COIMBATORE: I am a big fan of masala films. I love to watch my favourite stars on the big screen and never fail to whistle and hoot. But I make it a point to mark my calendar for a film festival, anywhere in the country. This is my sole chance to see works of master filmmakers, enjoy rare foreign cinema on the big screen and meet interesting people.

  So, this time, I packed my bags for Goa to attend the International Film Festival of India 2015, determined to watch as many films as I possibly could in two days. There was no time to binge on meals or visit tourist traps. Cinema was all. On both days I was there, I started off with a plate of hot vada pav and chai from adhaba near the festival venue. The festival experience begins right there with delegates frequenting the place. One can eavesdrop on their conversation — about regional cinema, FTII protests, and even world politics. Fights break out over issues ranging from the French New Wave and Kurosawa to the civil war in Syria.

  A film festival teaches us that when we discuss world cinema, we cannot ignore what’s happening in the world. I realised this as I watched Labyrinth of Lies, directed by Giulio Ricciarelli and Battle for Sevastopol (Russia) directed by Sergeiy Mokritskiy. The Ricciarelli film, an investigative thriller, portrays the horrific Auschwitz Camp during the Nazi era. The latter is about a tough Russian soldier called Lyudmila, who battled Hitler’s army, but was used as a pawn by the Russians for their political interests. None of the films suffers from the ‘Happy Ending’ syndrome or the ‘One-crore club’ expectations. Disconnected families do not have to fit into picture-perfect frames, and not all conflicts are resolved in the Swiss Alps. The films are a genuine enquiry by the filmmaker about human relationships and social issues.

  Valley of Love, directed by Guillaume Nicloux, is about a divorced couple who go on a holiday planned by their dead son, who promises them he will meet them at the end of their journey. The film does not show the return of the dead son or the union of the parents. The audience is left lurching in the whirlpool of emotions. But the husband and wife learn to swallow their pain and move on, just like how we would too in real life.

  Film festivals are also a great balm to the soul. We know we are not the only ones suffering. Boundaries blur as we identify with conflicts happening in other countries. How else could I relate to rebellious teenagers from Turkey who battle with a repressive climate at home in Mustang, a Turkish film directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven? The film is about five sisters, who boldly negotiate with sexuality, freedom and desires. Finally, two of them run away from their home. It was cathartic to watch the film and all of us wiped tears away.

  These long hours I spent in the dark cinema halls have shaped my sense of cinema and urged me to see it not just as time pass, but as works of art with cultural relevance.

  More importantly, I make new friends every year. There is nothing more powerful than a ‘Film festival brotherhood’. It defies language barriers, as cinema is the only language we speak there. I can bond with a Korean or a Spaniard over Godard’s new wave cinema! Some people I met in the festival two years ago are still my IFFI buddies. That includes directors from across the seas, with whom I still correspond over email.

  So, fellow film buffs, do mark your calendars for the 2016 film festival. Let the annual pilgrimage begin!