Sumalatha
(Actress)
I am excited as I am also a part of the Asian Competition jury. This is a new experience for me and am looking forward to experience various kinds of cinema from different countries and genres. I believe Biffes is a wonderful initiative. Having so many films screened at one venue is like a treat for a movie buff like me. It is a huge celebration of movies. The films shown here reflect the ideas and life of the particular place the film and its maker belong to. These films open a window to see how women are treated in their countries. Every film is ruled by its cultural and geographical nature, which makes watching world cinema more fascinating.
Sumana Kittur
(Film director)
Great films are being screened at BIFFES. As an audience you get to relate to every film and its characters. Let us take the opening film It’s the Law, directed by Salvatore Ficcarra and Valentino Piccone. The events depicted in this film from Italy can happen anywhere in the world. If you change the language, you will feel it is happening in your own country. That is how well these stories touch people from every country, irrespective of language, genre and culture. I am enjoying the documentaries screened here. The good thing is that there are also quite a few films by women directors this time.
Fatemeh Motamed-Arya
(Iranian actress)
It is fascinating to be at Biffes. Cinema for is something that can communicate powerfully with its silence and image. I saw quite a few Indian films besides films from other countries too. Film festivals like this open doors for collaborations between countries and artistes. It provides us a platform to know each other and our works better. I feel Cinema is like a family and we all know each other no matter where we come from. I look forward to working in an Indian cinema. I am also familiar with Bollywood cinema and Satyajit Ray. Bollywood is not to my taste even though it is so popular. I prefer to watch films that depict your culture, lifestyle and heritage. In that sense, I prefer movies from South India.
Ratnottama Sengupta
(Director)
I have been a part of many film festivals and consider Biffes a very important festival. Cinema is becoming important as it is entertaining and orienting people. The budget for mainstream has also grown in the past few years while for other genres it has shrunk. I find Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala come out with great films. Some films are made with such brilliance, yet they are lost as they don’t have the finance backing them, takers or distributors. Such festivals help these kind of films reach the initiators and viewers. That is what I love about Biffes as it helps open doors. I have been here three times and being here makes me enjoy cinema even more.