<p>New screening spaces and a lack of accessibility to world cinema are some of the factors fueling the culture of community viewing in Bengaluru, cinephiles and experts say.</p>.<p>“With OTT platforms, we thought we would get access to a larger number of global films. But many films from places like Japan, Italy and South America are still largely unavailable. This is drawing people back to film clubs,” says N Vidyashankar, film critic and artistic director, Bengaluru International Film Festival.</p>.<p><strong>Bengaluru’s film clubs</strong></p>.<p>In 2020, at National College’s B V Jagadeesh Science Centre, a group of friends met every Sunday to watch movies. “Slowly, more people joined and that’s how The Parallel Cinema Club (TPCC) was formed,” says Nikhil Waiker, a founding member. The club now also has a presence in Mumbai and Hyderabad. At TPCC, movies are curated based on film movements and retrospectives are held for about two months,so that members can assimilate rather than just consume the films.</p>.<p>Vinayak Bhat’s Bangalore Film Forum (BFF) had similar beginnings — with his friends watching films on a terrace. They now have regular screenings at Untitled Arts Foundation in J P Nagar.</p>.Operatic concerts lined up this weekend.<p>About 20 years ago, Vikalp began as a protest film festival when the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) demanded certification for Indian documentaries, following the Godhra riots. Many of the films were about the riots, and film festivals didn’t require censor certification. </p>.<p>Today, the Bengaluru chapter of Vikalp has collaborated with Bangalore International Centre (BIC) and shows documentaries every month. </p>.<p>Sanimawaale, another club, apart from screening films also holds script-reading sessions. </p>.<p><strong>Community experience</strong></p>.<p>Cinema by nature is meant for community viewing, Vidyashankar explains. “The nature of the medium has changed. People today have knowledge about films, but do not have the experience. With film clubs, the cinematic experience is making a comeback,” he adds. </p>.<p>Nikhil fondly recalled screening Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr’s eight-hour film ‘Satantango’. “The hall capacity was for about 50 people and it was full throughout. People came in with blankets and tiffin boxes. We screened the film a second time and received the same response,” he says. The screening began at 8.30 pm and went on till 7 am the next day. The post screening discussion happened over breakfast. </p>.<p>Sushma Veerappa, one of the founding members of Vikalp Bengaluru, recalled screening Sreemoyee Singh’s documentary ‘And, Towards Happy Alleys’ at BIC. Although it was on an OTT platform for a long time, they were greeted to a full house. ‘While We Watched’, a documentary about journalist Ravish Kumar received a similar response. </p>.<p>Film critic M K Raghavendra believes today's cinephiles veer towards films that are easy viewing and take familiar positions on well-known issues. “Cinephilia must embrace complexity and look at understanding cinema as an intellectual challenge,” he opines. </p>.<p><strong>Challenges </strong></p>.<p>Accessibility to films remains a main challenge. “Films are no longer in the control of filmmakers. Screening rights are owned by sales agents and the screening fee for the films are too high for small film clubs,” says Vidyashankar. He recalled how a sales company refused to allow a Wong Kar-wai retrospective by a film club last year. </p>.<p>Most clubs screen films that are available in the public domain. They charge a fee to cover the expenses of hiring the space. </p>.<p>Vinayak says that there is "absolutely no concession" for film clubs. “We usually reach out to filmmakers directly when it's possible,” he shares. </p>.<p>“Even after negotiation, the fee is between USD 300 and 500, which is a lot of money for us because we don’t sell tickets,” adds Sushma. When the screening fee is high, BFF collaborates with spaces like MAP. Facing similar issues, Bengaluru’s oldest Suchitra Film Society has now partnered with Mubi.</p>.<p>Film clubs may not be a box office alternative but they’re a cultural alternative, adds Vidyashankar.</p>
<p>New screening spaces and a lack of accessibility to world cinema are some of the factors fueling the culture of community viewing in Bengaluru, cinephiles and experts say.</p>.<p>“With OTT platforms, we thought we would get access to a larger number of global films. But many films from places like Japan, Italy and South America are still largely unavailable. This is drawing people back to film clubs,” says N Vidyashankar, film critic and artistic director, Bengaluru International Film Festival.</p>.<p><strong>Bengaluru’s film clubs</strong></p>.<p>In 2020, at National College’s B V Jagadeesh Science Centre, a group of friends met every Sunday to watch movies. “Slowly, more people joined and that’s how The Parallel Cinema Club (TPCC) was formed,” says Nikhil Waiker, a founding member. The club now also has a presence in Mumbai and Hyderabad. At TPCC, movies are curated based on film movements and retrospectives are held for about two months,so that members can assimilate rather than just consume the films.</p>.<p>Vinayak Bhat’s Bangalore Film Forum (BFF) had similar beginnings — with his friends watching films on a terrace. They now have regular screenings at Untitled Arts Foundation in J P Nagar.</p>.Operatic concerts lined up this weekend.<p>About 20 years ago, Vikalp began as a protest film festival when the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) demanded certification for Indian documentaries, following the Godhra riots. Many of the films were about the riots, and film festivals didn’t require censor certification. </p>.<p>Today, the Bengaluru chapter of Vikalp has collaborated with Bangalore International Centre (BIC) and shows documentaries every month. </p>.<p>Sanimawaale, another club, apart from screening films also holds script-reading sessions. </p>.<p><strong>Community experience</strong></p>.<p>Cinema by nature is meant for community viewing, Vidyashankar explains. “The nature of the medium has changed. People today have knowledge about films, but do not have the experience. With film clubs, the cinematic experience is making a comeback,” he adds. </p>.<p>Nikhil fondly recalled screening Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr’s eight-hour film ‘Satantango’. “The hall capacity was for about 50 people and it was full throughout. People came in with blankets and tiffin boxes. We screened the film a second time and received the same response,” he says. The screening began at 8.30 pm and went on till 7 am the next day. The post screening discussion happened over breakfast. </p>.<p>Sushma Veerappa, one of the founding members of Vikalp Bengaluru, recalled screening Sreemoyee Singh’s documentary ‘And, Towards Happy Alleys’ at BIC. Although it was on an OTT platform for a long time, they were greeted to a full house. ‘While We Watched’, a documentary about journalist Ravish Kumar received a similar response. </p>.<p>Film critic M K Raghavendra believes today's cinephiles veer towards films that are easy viewing and take familiar positions on well-known issues. “Cinephilia must embrace complexity and look at understanding cinema as an intellectual challenge,” he opines. </p>.<p><strong>Challenges </strong></p>.<p>Accessibility to films remains a main challenge. “Films are no longer in the control of filmmakers. Screening rights are owned by sales agents and the screening fee for the films are too high for small film clubs,” says Vidyashankar. He recalled how a sales company refused to allow a Wong Kar-wai retrospective by a film club last year. </p>.<p>Most clubs screen films that are available in the public domain. They charge a fee to cover the expenses of hiring the space. </p>.<p>Vinayak says that there is "absolutely no concession" for film clubs. “We usually reach out to filmmakers directly when it's possible,” he shares. </p>.<p>“Even after negotiation, the fee is between USD 300 and 500, which is a lot of money for us because we don’t sell tickets,” adds Sushma. When the screening fee is high, BFF collaborates with spaces like MAP. Facing similar issues, Bengaluru’s oldest Suchitra Film Society has now partnered with Mubi.</p>.<p>Film clubs may not be a box office alternative but they’re a cultural alternative, adds Vidyashankar.</p>