The 18th European Union Film Festival being held in the city has managed to attract a fair bit of patronage this time around, with a comparitively good number of people showing up. More than 24 movies from countries which are a part of the European Union are being screened over a period of two weeks at different locations across the city.
Though sizeable numbers have been attending the screenings held later in the evenings, there are few takers for films screened during the daytime on weekdays. “There are three films being screened on specific days and one ends up choosing which one to watch due to the timings,” said Ranjita Venugopal, a housewife who had came from Moti Nagar for the screening of the films from Portugal and Greece on Wednesday.
The different fare on offer at the fest has audiences amused and confused in equal measures, as the films are different from the usual notion of entertainment and movies in the city. “The treatment of the subject was very good and I liked the visuals,” said Vishal Sharma, an IT professional. Another movie, a Greek film, garnered a mixed reaction with some liking it and others claiming it was badly made. Srikant Reddy, a student said, “Even though the locales shown in the movie were very good, I didn’t like the movie at all.”
“People in Hyderabad are not used to watching movies that are different in their subject matter. I have had viewers come up to me after the screening asking why we don’t screen more action movies from abroad,” said Anna Edlin, project coordinator at the Goethe Zentrum which is also screening some of the movies.
The divide between serious audience and the curious is spelt by the perception of the movie as the audience ranged from students, academicians, aspiring documentary filmmakers to families out to have a good time. “European movies require a bit of thinking. One has to keep watching as many as one can to enjoy them. It’s more like an acquired taste,” opined Aparajita Sinha of Moving Images.
All said and done, the mixed bag of films are an opportunity to know the cultural milieu better. “The festival showcases the identity of European countries outside the continent. It goes to show that though languages differ, the European countries share similar cultural values,” said J Manuel Duhant, director of Alliance Francaise. He adds that the festival is a good way for people to watch films they may not be able to otherwise. “It’s difficult to find a film from Latvia in India. Through the festival people can watch some very good productions from smaller countries which don’t have enough funds to release them in India,” says Duhant. The festival will end on June 8. Screening schedules can be found on the websites of Alliance Francais and Goethe Zentrum.
