Table Of ContentEXECUTIVE 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
