My BIFFES Experience in Bengaluru

- Ishita Karmakar

 

I feel a power when I watch films at a festival. The lights dim. The conversations fade. A room full of strangers comes together in a shared quiet waiting for a story to start. The feeling stayed with me throughout my time, at the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES). The experience felt personal, thoughtful and creative.

 

BIFFES took place in Bengaluru. The city is the heart of Karnataka and the first week of February saw BIFFES hosted across known theatres. I saw BIFFES. I saw the excitement. BIFFES brought together filmmakers, students, critics and cinema lovers from backgrounds. Each venue had its pace and atmosphere. The emotion stayed the same: curiosity, openness and respect, for cinema, as an art form.

 

I went to BIFFES. Saw that BIFFES offered more, than the films. Between screenings the corridors became places to talk. People talked about framing, symbolism, sound, emotions and meaning easily as a chat. BIFFES felt like an event and more like a place where people learn together through cinema.

 

I remember the first film I watched was K-Popper, a film that felt different, from mainstream cinema. The film had depth like an art film. The film was subtle and layered. The story explored identity, hope and cultural influence without forcing a message. The protagonist was fascinated by the K-popper. The protagonist’s fascination with the K-popper felt deeper, than admiration. The protagonist sometimes wanted to become the K-popper. The protagonist sometimes wanted to step into the world the K-popper represented.

 

The film showed that the woman was not just chasing a person but freedom. A freedom that the woman could not have in the woman’s environment. Through the man the woman admired a world, beyond the woman’s country—a world that felt open and unrestricted. Even though the culture was specific the emotions felt universal. The film trusted the audience to understand the woman longing without explanation. That quiet honesty stayed with me long after the screening ended.

 

I watched Blue Moon the day. I noticed the film worked in a way. The film relied on mood, silence and visual storytelling. The film did not rush to explain itself. The film allowed moments to breathe. The film asked the viewer to watch and think. I felt the film let me see things differently.

 

The scene stuck with me. The woman talks about being hurt by the man she liked. The man hurt the woman. The man still held power, over the woman’s feelings. The woman says that after all that the woman would run back to the man with one phone call. I felt the moment was personal. The moment does not feel like a character, on a screen. The moment feels like the kind of feeling many people have but rarely admit.

 

BIFFES held my attention because BIFFES respected the audience. The films did not give answers. The films asked for patience, emotional presence and reflection. We live in a time of content and instant reactions. The slow and thoughtful engagement felt meaningful.

 

As someone interested in multimedia and visual storytelling, BIFFES added real value to my perspective. Watching how filmmakers used silence, framing, light, and pacing reinforced that storytelling is not about excess, but intention. BIFFES was not just an event I attended—it was an experience I absorbed. It left me inspired, reflective, and eager to continue exploring cinema with a deeper understanding and sensitivity.