Perspectives from around the world
Directors' Speak
The Bengaluru International Film Festival has kicked off to a good start, with several movie-buffs thronging its venues.
A press conference, attended by a few of the directors who are showcasing their films as a part of the festival, was held at the Department of Information on Monday. It provided the ideal opportunity for these directors to speak a little about their films, and also share their experiences of the festival itself.
The conference included Xie Fie, a director from China; Auraeus Solito, from the Philippines; and Dan Wolman, an Israeli director. Xie Fie believed that the best part about the festival was that it was an opportunity for films from around the world to be shared with the Indian audience.
“There are some good things happening in the Chinese film industry. We have different kinds of films, like propaganda films and art films. It’s a good chance to show both old and new films to the audience here,” he said. He also spoke a little about the trend of underground films in China — a necessity, since most of the politically-inclined films there were subjected to rigorous censorship by the Film Bureau.
A benefit of such a festival, which allows films from different countries to share space, is that it also brings the cultures of these countries to a common forum. Auraeus Solito, a director from the Philippines, spoke about the manner in which his own culture influenced his films.
“My mother belongs to one of the least-studied tribes in the Philippines — the Palawan,” he explained, going on to describe the time he spent with his tribe members, and the impact it had on him, as someone who had grown up in the City.
He added, “Palawan is both a region as well as a tribe — it’s all about the oneness of man and nature, and this is what my films focus on. My mother has told me many stories of my tribe, and when I was five, I went there and met my elders. When I returned there twenty years later, a whole well of knowledge opened up to me.”
Solito said this made him realise he wanted to create cinema which told the story of his people. Although he was previously involved in stage acting, some of the experiences he shared with his tribe were so surreal that he felt they would be best expressed through cinema.
Also present was Dan Wolman, from Israel. Dan focussed his discussion on his experience with the festival itself. “There’s something very unusual about this festival. It’s very ambitious in its choice of films. I haven’t been to a festival that loves and respects films from the past so much, either,” he explained.
