Poland, Israel for healthy bridge with Bollywood

The consul generals of Poland and Israel stressed upon the need for collaborating with India in filmmaking, saying it will help build a healthy relationship between the nations.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the 11the edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFs) on Thursday, Dana Krush, Consul General of Israel, and Damian Irzyk, Consul General of Poland, talked about the facilities in their respective countries which could be used by Indian filmmakers.

“Partnership in movie-making will help us to screen and promote our films in India. Our interaction with India is mainly through movies. The movie-makers of both the countries will get a taste of the culture, lifestyle and even the style of filmmaking,” Dana Krush said.

Going beyond the shooting part, the Consul General of Poland highlighted the affordable post-production studios in his country. “The post-production work in eastern Europe is affordable. The student exchange programme or a collaboration in film education by the respective film institutes will also help young talents open up to the world scenario,” Damian Irzyk said.

About the buzz that Bollywood created in Poland, he said, “There was a traffic jam near the movie hall screening Aamir Khan and Salman Khan films.”

Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi had a complaint though. The 80-year-old, whose film Ether was screened at the festival, said the so-called commercial films in India lacked content. An avid follower of Indian cinema from the classic era, the veteran filmmaker said, “The level of communication in movies has dropped since."