Indian Domestic Awards Not Important at Karlovy Vary: Karel Och

RBN Web Desk: Artistic director of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Karel Och, has said that domestic awards won by a film in its country of production, is not considered while selecting the entries for screening. Rather, it’s the appeal of the film in the international context which is taken into account, he added.

Karlovy Vary is one of the most prestigious international film festivals. Several Bengali films from leading directors, including Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Buddhadeb Dasgupta, were shown at the festival in the past. It may be recalled that Ray had won the special Karlovy Vary Prize for his 1976 film Jana Aranya at the festival.

This year, however, no Indian film has made it to the festival.

Speaking to the media recently in this regard, Karel said, films from India should have to be genuinely Indian and offer something new to the international audience. The selection committee at Karlovy Vary is not bothered about Indian ethics or how closely authentic it is. The cinematic and poetic quality of a film is hugely important while shortlisting a film for selection at Karlovy Vary. Unfortunately, no Indian film was found worthy to make the cut this year, he added.

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The selection committee, according to Karel, receives around 6,000 entries every year. They watch films all through the year to select the ones for screening.

That aside, no Bengali film is being shown at the marketing segment of the festival, a hub for international distributors.