Bhutan filmmaker unhappy with low turnout at SAFF

PANJIM, SEPT 19
The Buddhist film industry is disappointed over the luke warm response from the crowd in the South Asian Film Festival (SAFF), which embarked in the capital city of Panjim on Friday.
“I am not very happy with the strength of the audience even though all SAFF movies are being screened free of cost. I am sorry, am hurting sentiments but I suggest that the festival needs to be highly marketed to magnetize wider audience,” suggested the Bhutan filmmaker Gyalsten during a seminar on ‘Our Cinema Global Cinema’ today.
The country, which is less than a decade-old in the film industry is participating in the festival for the first time. The filmmaker revealed that Bhutan government did not render any assistance when the industry was born.
“No Government supported us but it has now realized the potential and has come forward for support,” he said.
The filmmaker along with other Bhutan delegates is in Goa to participate in the four-day SAFF, which began in Panjim on Friday.
The three-year old SAFF in Goa witnessed less attendance even on the inaugural day. Looking at the poor response Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had said that in future the festival will attract good crowd.
In all, 50 films from eight South Asian countries – India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal are being screened for the festival. The theme of the festival is ‘dissolving boundaries’ with the focus country as Afganishtan.
SA foundation Secretary General Rahul Barua has ruled out the poor response for this festival.