CH News
The 13th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) kicks off on Thursday and will continue till March 10. Over 200 films are scheduled to be screened at three locations this year: PVR Cinemas-Orion Mall in Rajajinagar, Kalavidara Sangha in Chamrajpet and Suchitra Cine Academy in Banashankari II Stage. 40 international films will be streamed online via OTT platform, Cinesend.
“We will have five screenings on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and four screenings on other days. The intervals between screenings have also been extended to 40 minutes,” H N Narahari Rao, Artistic Director, BIFFes said.
Priyadarshan, a three-time National Award winner, and actors Darshan and Bharathi Vishnuvardhan will attend the festival’s launch today at 4.30 p.m. at the GKVK campus.
He added, “We only had 32 days when the Chief Minister made the decision to hold BiFFes. We have planned to run this festival in a systematic and orderly manner without spending too much money in such a short period of time.”
Some new categories to commemorate 75 years of independence have been added to the festival, which will also celebrate 50 years of Tulu Cinema. A special screening of the Kannada classic Vasantha Sena (1941) will also take place.
The International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations has finally recognised BiFFes as an international film festival this year. Here’s a list of all the films scheduled for the next one week.
This year the organisers have taken a cue from Cannes and Venice Film Festivals to introduce new special categories like- Cinema of the World, Asian Cinema Competition, Indian Cinema Competition, Film Critics Week and Oscar Spectrum.
As the theme of this year’s festival is Performing Arts organisers have put together a smorgasbord of activities. Prakash Belawadi will host the Cinema Adda at Orion Mall and teach a 15-film appreciation course at Suchitra Cine Society.
As a tribute to late Sandalwood star Puneeth Rajkumar, a panel discussion on Puneeth’s artistic abilities will be held. His three films, Jackie (2010), Bettada Hoovu (1985), and Prithvi (2010), are set to be screened.
