Bengaluru: While it is curtains for the 11th edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) on Thursday, the event has turned out be a disappointment to the movie buffs on various counts.
Right from the delay in holding the event to allegations of neglect of premier Kannada film industry body - KFCC, which decided to stay away from the festival, the week-long event failed to enthuse film goers.
BIFFes organizers also failed to tap the potential of social media. “Apart from some information hosted on its official website and few photographs on its Instagram and Facebook accounts, there are no real information which an active registered member for the film festival can make use of. As for the official Twitter account, the organisers have not bothered to post even a single tweet since the event kicked off. Ironically, lectures and seminars are held during very festivals on the role of social media in connection with films,” said Supritha, a movie goer.
A majority of visitors to film festivals are youth and movie enthusiasts who are keen to know about the world of cinemas and learn movie making.
“Bengaluru, is also known as Silicon Valley of India, but I wonder how during such a major event technology and social media have taken a backstage. I started following the official Twitter handle of the BIFFes, but till date there has been no updates or useful information to enhance the experience of the festival. A lot of movies were getting rescheduled and it was informed at the event with volunteers using mikes. A simple tweet or posts on social media would have been of greater assistance,” said another movie buff.
There has been growing demand for a dedicated mobile application for the festival on the lines of other major film festival across the country, which allows the movie enthusiasts to do more than communicating and allowing them book seats in advance.
The organizers claimed they got clearances very late and hence were not able to effectively plan and execute the event. They, however, assured that steps will be taken to ensure that the coming editions are better organised.
