BANGALORE, December 18: Konchavaram, a film in Banjara language, which deals with child trafficking, and independent film Lucia, touted as the first completely crowd-sourced film from Karnataka are competing in the Kannada Cinema, Chitra Bharati and NETPACK (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) categories of the 6th Bangalore International Film Festival (6BIFFes) which commences on December 26.
“The intention of the film is to highlight the plight of the Banjara community and issue of child trafficking”, says director Umesh Naik of Konchavaram. The film is based on the study by K.G. Nagalakshmi Bai.
Lucia, a psychological thriller directed by Pawan Kumar that bagged the audience award at the London Indian Film Festival, was appreciated by director Anurag Kashyap, who took note of film’s novel business concept.
“If any of these films get an award either in the Chitra Bharati or in the NETPACK section, they would not be considered for an award in the Kannada-language category,” said H.N. Narahari Rao, artistic director, BIFFes.
There are 10 films in Kannada and Chitra Bharati competition section. Eleven films are in the race for NETPAC awards.
Spreading the word
Organisers are trying to spread the message of the festival across the metro and are making the best use of the autorickshaws to this end. “Over 200 autorickshaws bearing BIFFes posters are moving around the city,” said information director N.R. Vishu Kumar.
