Exploring the Significance of Film Festivals: Perspectives and Reflections

In Conversation Jabbar Patel, Malti Sahai and Shaji N Karun | During the 27th IFFK, a panel discussion was held where Malti Sahai, former Director of the Directorate of Film Festivals, along with Filmmakers Shaji N. Karun and Jabbar Patel, shared their views on the significance of film festivals, the process of selecting films for festivals, and how film festivals can engage audiences in the digital age.

- Catherine Thomas

Malti Sahai: I am Malti Sahai, former Director of the Directorate of Film Festivals (DIFF), India. I was there for 20 years. I was there when the two eminent directors sitting on my right and left came to Delhi to participate in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) with their first films; Piravi (Shaji N Karun) and Samna (Jabbar Patel). I don’t think they need much of an introduction. Shaji is from here and he’s very well-known both in the country and internationally for his films, outstanding among them was the very first one Piravi followed by Swaham and Vanaprastham. He won the Caméra d’Or award at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. Since he was there on the red carpet for Piravi, no Indian film has got into the Cannes Film Festival.

On my left here is Jabbar Patel. He is best known for ‎Umbartha which was a film on the women’s movement. I was sitting with Nandita Das today at breakfast and she was telling me that Umbartha was the first film that gave her the direction to go into social services for women’s rights. The other film that I remember very well is Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar which was a mammoth exercise because it was a biopic of Ambedkar. Mammootty played the role of Ambedkar in that film and gave an excellent performance. Along with being eminent film directors, they both are also directors of film festivals. Jabbar runs the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) and Shaji is the Chairman of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), which organised the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) until 1998.