BENGALURU: The most awaited calendar event for Bengaluru and cinema lovers -- the Bengaluru International Film Festival -- will be held from February 26 to March 4. The logo of the festival and the dates were unveiled by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday.
This year, for the first time, the inauguration of the festival, which will be organised by the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA) and Department of Information and Public Relations, will be held at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium.
The CM said film screenings will be held at 11 screens in PVR Cinemas and Orion Mall and tickets will be priced at Rs 800 for the general public and Rs 400 for students, film society members and people from the film fraternity. Tickets can be booked in advance online.
Nearly 200 films from 50 countries will be screened under the categories ‘Contemporary World Cinema’, ‘Retrospective’, ‘Country Focus’, ‘Grand Classics’, ‘Homages and Remembrances’, ‘International Federation of Film Critics’, Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema’, ‘Unsung Incredible India’ and ‘Bio Pics’.
The festival will also host interactive forums on film making and film appreciation. Indian and Kannada cinema will be screened and awards for the best films will be given in a separate category. The other award categories will include ‘Best Indian film’ and ‘Best Asian Film’. The festival is said to have grown by 35 per cent and filmmakers have acknowledged that it had helped improve the quality of Kannada cinema.
Speaking to the media, Suneel Puranik, KCA chairman, said this year, the festival qualifies for international recognition as it meets all the set parameters. “We are trying for recognition as it will help draw in more crowd and more films. We are also working on going digital so that there are no long queues to book tickets. The modalities are being finalised as it is being done for the first time. The committee is also working on contemplating on including more theatres and screens to show more movies,” he said.