No country for indie films?

Director Kanu Behl speaks about the problems plaguing independent filmmakers, the future of Al filmmaking, and the need to have cinema that contributes to culture and not just coffers

- KARTIK BHARDWAJ

A still from the film, Agra

RECENTLY, 46 independent filmmakers signed a statement calling for action on the problems plaguing small and mid-budget films in the country. This has been a long time coming. Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was the UK’s entry for the Oscars, couldn’t find a display at both the big screen and the small one in the country where the film is based in. It came as a surprise when Aranya Sahay’s critically acclaimed Humans in the Loop found aspace on Netflix, a platform which was once considered a beacon of hope for independent filmmaking. Post the pandemic, content-first cinema has found itself homeless, stuck in a vicious cycle. Theatre chains won't feature these films in accessible outlets or give them proper show timings, and OTT giants refuse to stream them, pointing to dismal theatrical performance.