Film festivals are not new to director Girish Kasaravalli who has attended many such across the globe. However, the director admits he was not able to concentrate on the screenings at BIFFES. “I am yet to do my homework on films being screened here. Usually, I research them online and talk to my friends but I could not do so this year. However, looking at the list, I feel, even a dozen good films should make it a successful festival,” he says.

Girish was quite impressed with the panel discussion on Promotion of Regional Indian Films: For Festivals and Global Market, one that he participated in along with Uma da Cunha, festival consultant and adviser, Mumbai; Santhanam, festival adviser and Karen Folger Jacobs, festival consultant.

“This is a good initiative and hope it continues next year too. At most film festivals, talk centres around promoting Indian films by which they mean Hindi movies. Promoting Hindi films and promoting regional films are two different things. Marketing regional films is tougher and directors have to face many hurdles. Even abroad, in the UK and the USA, non-Hindi cinegoers watch only Hindi films. Does a non-Kannadiga watch a Kannada film? We need to recognise this problem,” he explains.