Despite happening after a gap of a year when theatres were mostly shut down, the footfall at the 13th edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) seems to have dropped, even during the weekend, compared to the previous years. Organisers said this is because over 800 people had registered and were watching movies online, a facility introduced for the first time at BIFFes.
However, film buffs point out reduced enthusiasm for the Festival this year for a myriad of reasons. The ongoing edition of BIFFes has had to contend for attention of film buffs with multiple avenues. For instance, Pune International Film Festival and Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival’s schedules have clashed with BIFFes and both festivals offer online screenings as well.
“These three festivals actually have a varied selection of films with little overlap. It actually makes sense to sit at home and watch films from all three festivals, which is exactly what I did this year,” said filmmaker Sandeep Kumar. Many from other parts of Karnataka who used to travel to Bengaluru for the festival, have mostly stayed away this year, opting to see films from multiple festivals from the comfort of their homes.
