Did IFFCOLOMBO reawaken the soul of our city?

Tuesday, 9 September 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Sandya Salgado Colombo saw an overwhelming hunger for quality cinema that seemed to have been suppressed due to a lack of opportunity. People travelled the length and breadth of the country to experience world renowned Art-house movies which they would normally not get to see in the country; definitely not for free.

Even the 10 o’clock night shows were ‘House Full’ with audiences waiting patiently until 1.30 a.m. to listen to the post-movie discussions with renowned filmmakers. This is pure unconditional love for cinema. The mission of the festival was to introduce globally-recognized art-house movies to local cinema audience while exposing local films and filmmakers to the world, and that seems to have been well and truly realised. A week of cinema in the city Six days of Art-house films, master classes by world-renowned film personalities, public discussions, an exhibition depicting the 67-year journey of local cinema, an evening of breathtaking orchestra music, brunch talks and discussions with international film directors were all provided free of charge as fringe events of the festival. With all this stimuli, the cinema industry should be revitalized to realize the vision of the festival which is to ‘position Sri Lankan Cinema on the global map’. The overwhelming response to all this seemed like the country’s soul had been reawakened.

Taking up the challenge Filling a seating capacity of 15,000, in five cinema halls, with five daily shows for six days, screening over 90 films from thirty countries, seemed a nightmare to achieve; more so in a country where the habit of watching movies at the cinema was almost nonexistent. This was the backdrop in which a handful of film directors representing the Film Directors’ Guild sat down to discuss the ambitious task of hosting The International Film Festival of Colombo 2014 (IFFCOLOMBO 2014).

Abundance of passion The only financial resource in the Guild’s coffers was the modest sponsorship fee they had managed to secure from the Okinawa Movie Festival, with the determination of hosting an international film festival on a grand scale in Sri Lanka. They had neither a template to follow nor a blue print to study on how to organise an international film festival of this nature. The only intangible assets in abundance were a commitment to their vision, a relentless drive and an endless passion to make this a reality for the sake of their country and the industry they truly believe in.

The dream realised Less than four months later, the IFFCOLOMBO 2014 not only became a reality but a roaring success too. The organisers have almost forgotten the endless challenges and brick bats they had to grapple with during this arduous journey. With the event behind them, it is nothing but elation and joy that’s seen all round, knowing that an impossible dream had been realised for the country and for Sri Lankan Cinema. The challenges faced during this journey are being carefully recorded as learnings for future planning. Now it’s the time to bask in the happiness of knowing that the country does in fact have an untapped desire for quality cinema, waiting to be ignited. This seems to be the biggest revelation and positive outcome of the festival. The achievement of hosting this film festival within this very short time span is such a commendable task. How it was ever possible is almost a miracle. Having had the privilege of supporting the festival organisers with their marketing strategies and messaging, I experienced firsthand how each and every challenge had to be overcome systematically and practically. This first-time experience would undoubtedly help the organisers improve their processes and practices in the future festival planning. Working with minimum resources One of the most admirable aspects of this festival was how the organisers constantly strived to make the best use of the meagre funds they had; basically trying to cut the coat according to the cloth. Having witnessed how most other similar events splash money for publicity and promotion, it was heartening to see how each member of the organising committee was using his or her personal networking strength to get the maximum impact to achieve a common goal. This was a true commitment of passion by a handful of individuals, who worked with no hidden agenda, but for one clear goal only. What was also noteworthy was how just a handful of sponsors came forward to partner this laudable effort of supporting the development of Sri Lankan cinema without expecting anything much in return. What was disheartening though was how many local and multinational companies who were approached, who could have supported this cause even in a small way, just did not think it was worthy of their involvement. Sadly, the question of ‘what’s in it for me?’ loomed larger than that of ‘how can we support a national need?’ With the proven success of IFFCOLOMBO 2014, let us hope things would be different next year. Some misgivings Most aspects of an international film festival are new to our country. Therefore expectations and appreciation would vary on many levels. The fact that it was held only in one city, made other city dwellers feel left out. We saw how hard it was for cinema-lovers to travel from far away cities like Kandy, Kurunegala and even Jaffna. But that’s what it is, with a film festival of this nature. The genre of movies screened did not appeal to all, and rightly so. Limiting the screening to a few cinemas, a limited seating capacity, not being able to see all the movies of one’s choice, standing in long queues for hours, glitches in technology were occurrences which attracted public criticism. As time goes by, the concept of an International Film Festival and its characteristics will become better known in Sri Lanka and these misgivings will gradually diminish for sure. Food for thought Apart from a handful of industry veterans and a few exceptions, it was disappointing to note how sparingly young actors used this opportunity to sharpen their skills and knowledge about new trends in world cinema. It is time they realised the importance of getting exposed to modern cinema trends if they are to make cinema a serious career path for themselves. I personally felt that the media could have played a much more supportive role by highlighting the impact of this new phenomenon of hosting an International Film Festival in Sri Lanka for the first time. More in-depth discussion on the issue, educating the public about the benefits of such an event, how it can help the cinema industry in the long term, reviewing some of the films to be screened, interviewing the foreign directors who were participating in the festival were some ways in which media could have partnered this festival more effectively. Wish for the future of cinema If one were to be critical, one could point many shortcomings in planning and implementing this ambitious event, due to the lack of prior experience, minimum resources and practical constraints. But as a Sri Lankan, I believe it is our duty to complement the organisers for laying the foundation for change in Sri Lankan cinema. Let this be a new beginning for a much richer and meaningful cinema culture in Sri Lanka. What is crucial now is to ask ourselves, ‘How do we take this ignited passion forward, meaningfully?”