Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Thursday said India was still in the ‘backyard’ of world cinema because the film industry in the country did not offer the much-needed space for serious, different cinema. He was speaking at the launch of the Bengalooru International Film Festival 2008.

“Even countries with no history of cinema, like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are producing quality films while we remain in the backyard. The film industry is organised in such a way that there’s no scope for difference. The audience is trained that way,” he added.

Film festivals would be pointless if the audience celebrate quality international films for a week, only to forget them later and return to popular cinema as if they are unrelated to the positive trends in world cinema. He said the basic purpose of film festivals was to foster critics, film scholars, young viewers and an industry that nurtures cinema that’s not run-of-the-mill.

While lauding the Karnataka government for supporting the festival, the filmmaker urged it to look beyond subsidies and provide outlets for good cinema in the State.

Governor Rameshwar Thakur, who inaugurated the week-long festival, said more international film festivals would go a long way in making Bangalore an important centre of filmmaking.

Inaugural film

BIFFES 2008, organised by the Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy, in association with the State government, has acclaimed Kannada filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli as the festival director. The festival kicked off with the Bangladeshi film On the wings of Dreams, directed by Golam Rabanny Biplab.

The film — that won the Silver Peacock Award at the recent International Film Festival of India in Goa — was screened on Thursday.

Close to 150 films from around 45 countries will be screened at three halls in Vision Cinemas on K H Road, K H Patil Auditorium on the same road and Suchitra Auditorium in Banashankari II Stage. For details, call 26711785/ 94480 89180.