Some weeks ago in Stuttgart (Germany) the Bollywood and Beyond Film Festival has been
held. Half a week there have been many movies in 3 theaters, Indian cooking, a so-called bazaar, Indian cinema professionals like producers for discussion, and journalists - there could be nothing more for fans like us to have at such a festival. If i had ever wished such a festival, near me in Stuttgart, i’d wished it that way. Not to forget the movies there. This article concerns about the festival idea, the movies there and how the festival organization plays with these things.

This festival was thought as a place for cultural exchange, as they write at their homepage:

The aim of this initiative was to enrich the festival situation in the region. The goal of the festival “Bollywood and beyond” was, besides the promotion of the economic cooperation, to provide the viewers with an insight to the cultural diversity of a film industry which was then largely unknown in Germany.

(origin of quote here)

This changed these days in a special manner typical for Germans: Once Bollywood and Beyond, both equal weights as words in the header (but bollywood for promotional purpose written larger than beyond), changed to “only Beyond is good cinema”. Indian Commercial Cinema is not of interest for festival management. It is too profane. There is too less arts but too much business and too much what audience wants to see. Its a german speciallity to show your own intelligence, experience and abilitiy by denying mainstream and by denying others abilities. Or as its called:

Reviewer (and festival managers) are like eunuchs: They know how it works but still can’t do it themselves.

You goat about art house filme knowledge. Its a problem many film festivals have: They select cinema into public and commercial one on a side and intellectual one on the other side. Of course, you could decide that you only want to show art house movies. But its not fair for Bollywood to be the eponym for the festival and then call it not as good as intellectual management would like to be themselves.

And that is the point: Its nothing about the festivals reputation, but about managements own reputation.

On one hand they want big business with 10.000s of visitors. On the other hand they want to show their intellectual decision against mainstream. That’s false, in my opinion. You can decide in favor of this side, but you can’t have both in the same moment.

You can’t sell great movies like “Manasarovar” or “Daivanamathil” as Bollywood without lying to your audience. And, that’s the point, you can’t make a film festival “to provide the viewers with an insight to the cultural diversity of a film industry ” by denying Bolly/Kolly/Tolly/Mollywood. Art house is also a part of Indian cinema as Bollywood is. Both are such an important parts of Indian culture. You can’t deny indian stardom, Bollywoods colors, these always equal and really flat stories. That is Indian cinema too, that is Indians wannabe, somehow.

And of course you can’t - as German - decide - which part of a culture is worth to be shown. Thats the key: By showing your own intellect because you know - as the only one - which movie is worth to be shown, you also show bad understanding. That you don’t have understand anything.

And, for second, you also make some special festival to some arbitrary.

There is no real commercial Indian cinema festival worldwide. Why not?
Can’t we get people to less audience movies in the fairway of a blockbuster? Do we need to learn cultural exchange with a mallet?

The German Mainstream Community fears a festival without Bollywood. We love the Indian cinema, neither only Bollywood nor art house. And people visiting this festival see it the same way: Sold out? No movie was, was any? Only Krrish managed a 500 seat theater to be 3/4 full. Only Krrish managed a large auditorium. So tell me: Must art and intellect kill things people like for some personal reasons?

Its only one person with that view in Germany (i hope), the festival manager Mrs. Reiss. We don’t know which way Bollywood & Beyond will go. But we know that we don’t want it to go that way. International and national press only writes what is shown to them. About success in Germany and about a big festival.
But independent sources attested me that some cinema professionals don’t like that idea a lot.

Never forget: Cinema is both art and business. The same way is it with making a festival. Lets hope Mrs. Reiss will understand it some day.

(Thanks, S., for correcting my English)

Update: In my german blog festival manager reiss told one of my visitor to delete his post speaking about her failures in management. Else she spoke about further steps.