Prakash Raj pushes for Palestinian films at BIFFes, Siddaramaiah stops short of commitment

Actor and filmmaker Prakash Raj, the brand ambassador of the 17th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes), urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a stand against the Centre’s move and screen Palestinian films at BIFFes, during the inauguration of the festival on Thursday.

However, Mr. Siddaramaiah did not commit to the screening, though he reiterated that one of the objectives of BIFFes is “to create a platform to understand global realities through films from across the world.”

The Chief Minister inaugurated the 17th BIFFes on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha, attended by Mr. Raj, Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj S. Horatti, actor Rukmini Vasanth, chairperson of the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy Sadhu Kokila, Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, and others. This year too witnessed low attendance from the Kannada film industry.

Like birds from all over

Mr. Raj, who unveiled the BIFFes promo, addressed the gathering and said the festival was launched 16 years ago with the spirit of a place like Ranganathittu, where birds from across the world arrive, but politics had now entered the festival and altered its purpose.

“Our Union government is not allowing us to screen Palestinian films. This has to be protested against, and as Chief Minister and as a government, you must take a stand,” Mr. Raj said, addressing Mr. Siddaramaiah.

He cited his experiences of listening to Sunita Williams, Abdulrazak Gurnah, and German speakers at a literature festival recently to emphasise how platforms such as film festivals bring together diverse opinions, experiences, and thoughts, helping human consciousness grow.

Referring to Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp, whose stories depicting the pain and struggles of the land (Karnataka) won the International Booker Prize, Mr. Raj highlighted the need to screen Palestinian films. “When we celebrate the recognition of our stories, how can we endorse the prohibition of bringing stories from other lands to our State?” he asked.

Pointing to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s decision to ensure the screening of Palestinian films at their film festival, Mr. Raj urged Mr. Siddaramaiah to take a similar stand. He also recited lines from Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s poem The war will end to express solidarity with the suffering of the common people there.

Speaking soon after Mr. Raj, Mr. Arshad said: “Mr. Siddaramaiah is a leader who has confronted powerful leaders and has always stood with the people. Whether Palestinian or any other films, our stage must screen them. If Mr. Siddaramaiah’s government cannot do it, no one can.”

Chief Minister’s note

Despite the heightened expectations after that, Mr. Siddaramaiah neither committed to nor mentioned the screening of Palestinian films. However, he acknowledged Mr. Raj’s concerns and reiterated that BIFFes aims to provide a platform to understand politics, life, equality and inequality, and suffering across countries.

He said cinema brings global realities to the screen and enables people to learn from them. He also quoted Kannada poet Kuvempu’s Sarva Janangada Shantiya Thota (peaceful garden of all communities) to emphasise Karnataka’s culture but did not directly state that Palestinian films would be screened.

Screenings

Film screenings at BIFFes will begin on January 30 and continue until February 6. The theme for this edition is “Stree endare ashte saake?”, with focus on women.

The festival will feature 240 films, including 70 from foreign countries. Of the total, over 65 films are directed by women. Screenings will be held at Lulu Mall in Rajajinagar, Dr. Rajkumar Bhavana, Kalavidara Sangha in Chamarajapet, and the Suchitra Film Society in Banashankari.