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Film Fests Redefine the Idea of Cinema: P K Bijukuttan


“International film festivals like the IFFK treat independent cinema in a way which aids to redefine the idea and reinvent the perception of cinema. IFFK has made the global Cinema culture closer and popular to the common people despite of the cultural, social, and political barriers, thus portraying the reality to the screens as it is”, said P K Bijukuttan, director of the film ‘O’ath’, at the Open Forum session on ‘Malayalam Cinema: Changing Sensibility’.

Discussing about the current trends in Indian cinema, he said that most independent filmmakers do not get the deserved opportunity to showcase their work in public. This happens due to the commercial dominion given to stardom and big-budget films. “Young filmmakers like me have always tried to make films that reflect reality. But commercialization has deepened its roots in Cinema to the extent that independent films find it hard to survive”, he added.

Films of ten Malayalam debut directors are being screened in the fete. Most of them are crowd funded; they receive a space all to their own in the arena of world films. This is the ultimate example of the support and guidance given to young and new talents by IFFK, thus setting the stage for their art to be exhibited to a wider audience.

“Private theatres are focusing on commercial profitability. We should encourage independent Cinema through government theatres”, opined Unnikrishnan Avala, director of ‘Udalazham’. Dr. Bijukumar Damodaran, was the moderator of the session. “Investment above art is an investment above culture, not above profitability”, he quoted.

Debut filmmakers Zakariya, Unnikrishnan Avala, A K Vinu, Binu Bhaskar, Goutham Soorya, Sudeep Elamon, Bipin Radhakrishnan, and Sumesh Lal participated in the session.

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