Table Of Content

EXECUTIVE TEAM Festival Director Suneel Puranik Artistic Director N Vidyashankar Registrar Himantharaju G Chief Programmer and curator Murali P B Chief Festival Co-ordinator Suhas S R Executive Manager Shivanand Somappa Information, Festival Book Content and Print Sharath Babu S P Coordinator Festival Book and Daily Bulletin Content Gangadhara Mudaliar Co-ordinator and Editor Media and Delegate Accreditation B N Subramanya Co-ordination Hospitality Co-ordinator Anand Kannan Social Media and Banuprakash Mahadeva Publicity Co-ordinator Content Management S P Sharath Babu, Banuprakash Mahadeva, Pavan Kumar R, Suhas S R Co-ordination Seminar and Masterclass Events Coordinator Hemanth N Jury Screening and Co-ordination Niranjana C, Mune Gowda, Veeresh Kumar R, Sharan B Abbigere, Santosh Rahul Social Media Team S P Sharath Babu, Manjunath Nayak, Hemanth N, Srijan C Someshwar, Krishna Herle Delegate Registration Assistance Raman Kumar N, Niranjana C, Srinivasa C V, Raghavendra B E, Sharan B Abbigere, M D Rafik, Siddappa, Pramod Vaidya B P, Laxman S Technical support and Movie Print Traffic Team Vikas R, Abhishek T, Pavan Kumar R, Lokesh M S, Anil Kumar S, Santosh Rahul, Mune Gowda, Raghu Dixit, Manjunath N, Khadar Saab Venue Management Raman Kumar N , Veeresh Kumar R, Ashwitha Hegde, Akshara Venugopal Photography Giri Babu, Banuprakash Mahadeva, Alexander Varghese, Abhishek Hegde Hospitality Assistance Shyam R Raghavendran, Nuski Nasih, Meghashree K P, Pallavi G, Likith G P Volunteer Co-ordination Sohil B. Gowda N S Sridhar Murthy, Maya Chandra, Nikunj Trivedi FESTIVAL BOOK Chief Editor N Vidyashankar Co Editors Gangadhara Mudaliar, Murali P B, S Viswanath, B N Subramanya, Banuprakash Mahadeva, Umaina F Hafeez, Rahul N S Content Writing Assistance S P Sharath Babu, Shyam R Raghavendran, Pavan kumar R, Srijan C Someshwar, Roja R Kubasad, Sneha K S, Meghashree K P, Pallavi G, Shilpa Merlin, S S Faseeha Design Hemanth N Printers Ekaksharaprinters Kamakshipalya , Bangalore-560079 Published by Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy Bengaluru-560096 Website Verbinden Communications ADMINISTRATION Finance Venkataramaiah R Office Staff Ramaswamy J, Sowmya R Support Staff Mahadeva, Naveena, Pranesh, Nanjundappa CHIEF MINISTER It is with immense pleasure to announce the commencement of the 12 th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival which will be held from February 26th to March 4th , 2020. BIFFES has been one of the most visible and prominent platforms to successfully witness immense energy and interest of people in cinema from various parts of the world to experience diverse themes and cultures through our curated films. The Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy was conceptualized to spread healthy film culture in the state and I am happy to note that it has assiduously endeavoured to live up to its ascribed role. The Government of Karnataka is extending all possible support to spread and promote a healthy culture. The Government is dedicated to creating the best physical and intellectual infrastructure of this festival so that it may address the year round interest received from the public and filmmakers across the globe. I take this opportunity to welcome one and all to BIFFES and I am sure, this year the Bengaluru film enthusiasts, film professionals and students will utilize the opportunity and whole heartedly participate with the same zeal like the previous edition in making the event a grand success. B.S. YEDIYURAPPA Hon’ble Chief Minister Government of Karnataka SECRETARY My heartiest greetings to one and all who have come to be a part of this twelfth edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival. Each edition of the festival in the past has been potential enough to provide film lovers with an exclusive and unique experience. Continuing this tradition, we are pleased to invite cineastes and filmmakers from across the world to this event, which has become a permanent addition to the city’s annual cultural calendar. Every year we see greater participation from the public, filmmakers of Kannada film Industry and from across the globe which has motivated us to raise the standard of films received. We are aware that every film festival is different not merely in technical aspects,aesthetic and artistic values but in the various heart touching stories from across the world that it presents. This Film Festival has been constantly making significant changes to provide an improved experience to its audience by making best selections of kannada regional, national and world cinema facilitating its rise in the global film festival circuit. Even the selection of workshops and master-classes has been upgraded to include eminent speakers and experts in their respective fields to make the festival a more learning and interactive experience. It is sincerely hoped that the Film professionals and the public will use this opportunity to view films, appreciate them and learn the art of making them. Wishing all success to this prestigious 12th edition of BIFFES. P. MANIVANNAN, IAS Secretary, Department of Information and Public Relations Government of Karnataka CHAIRMAN It’s an honour and great pleasure to welcome the finest in Kannada and World Cinema to the 12th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival, held from February 26th to March 4th 2020. BIFFES is an exuberant season that India and International scene awaits. The film festival has always opened up a whole new world for the creative generation of filmmakers to look at the possibilities of film expression. BIFFES is a platform that always serves as an exchange of perspectives and vibrant ideas of contemporary society. Biffes allows access to the world that might be otherwise out of bounds by presenting diverse landscapes across the world. Bengaluru, our very own city known for its plurality of culture, can assimilate global cultures and yet retain its own identity. This edition showcases a wide array of films from across the world with vivid themes and genres that have been lined up for screening. On behalf of Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, my heartiest welcome to all the delegates, jury members, and participating filmmakers. I wish you all an exciting and enriching experience at BIFFES. SUNEEL PURANIK Chairman, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy Festival Director COMMISSIONER We are extremely delighted to present the twelfth edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival to be held during February 26th to March 4th 2020. BIFFES has fully created its own important place in the International Film Festival Scene, all thanks to the enthusiastic participation of audiences.The festival remains to be a favorite among both industry members and film enthusiasts. The massive crowds and huge demands for delegate registration have inspired us to enlarge the infrastructure and catch up with the best of films to extend the scope of the festival. This time we have 14 screens to showcase more than 200 films from over 60 countries categorized under 13 sections. It will take place across four venues - PVR cinema - Orion Mall and Navrang Theatre in Rajajinagar , Dr. Raj Bhavan Artists Association in Chamrajpet and Suchitra Film Society in Banashankari. Our effort is to grow the festival each year and to this end, we have undertaken significant measures to provide festival delegates with the best possible film viewing experience. On this special occasion, it’s my honor to welcome all the delegates, Jury members, Guests and special invitees. I wish you all a joyful week at BIFFES. S.N SIDDARAMAPPA, IPS Commissioner, Dept. of Information and Public Relations Government of Karnataka ARTISTIC DIRECTOR “Parasite”, the South Korean film with almost no English dialogue and a far eastern family and social dynamics as its core theme winning the Oscar awards has made the world film scenario introspect. Winning the Best Film Award and the Best Director award, Mr. Bong Joon-Ho created History and has raised the question worldwide as to why a non English film did not win the best film award at the Oscar ceremony of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for 92 years.The Cineastes who would rather wait for creative forays to be recognised at film festivals across the globe have known this aberration for a long time. But the fact remained that the cultural hegemony driven by commercial interests had prevailed on the exclusion of the best of the world cinema of the non English domain at the Academy and such other similar platforms. After all, Artistic endeavours of independent auteurship are cultural and intellectual acts and are creative expressions of individuals to communicate with the discerning audiences and not for a market evaluation. In the course of the year during which Mr. Bong has received accolades from the entire spectrum of film scenario, from Cannes Festival to Oscars, through Golden Globe and from cine loving public to the discerning film critics, he has also talked about the nature of film medium itself. When he said the most personal is the most creative and the World has overcome the one inch tall barrier, meaning the sub titles, he was referring to the amazing films from diverse cultures and languages that dot the Global cinema. Film festivals are the forums which continuously strive for crossing these barriers of language and artificial borders and bring together people of diverse lifestyles and thoughts. The 12th edition of BIFFes celebrates this cultural diversity through films from across the globe and reminisces the birth of cinema 125 years ago by revisiting some of the major classics of the history of cinema. It also recognises the uniqueness of Indian Cinema which largely relies for its success on the musical interludes. The Indian Musical tradition and Cinema is the theme of the festival and brings into focus through selected films, the lives of pioneers of Indian classical music and also the evolution of film music in India. In addition, as usual, the kaleidoscope of Cinema of the World, Competition sections, Country Foci, Director’s retrospectives and all other programs of earlier era will continue. Welcome to the celebration of the cultural diversity, lifestyles and intellect through the best of the cinemas of the world. N VIDYASHANKAR Artistic Director