Bangalore International Film Festival – BIFFES
Objective:
- To make the film Festival appealing to all movie buffs instead of a select narrow crowd.
- To position Biffes as a national level initiative at par with the Goa International Film Festival
Challenges:
The only vernacular press was interested. A broad appeal and interest toward BIFFES was lacking
Strategy:
- The ambiance and feel of the festival were elevated to a more sophisticated level by shifting the venue from Press Club
- A highly evocative exhibition of stills and photographs was organized to showcase the growth and development of Kannada cinema in 75 years
- Exclusive seminars on the creative and academic facets of cinema were organized to increase the footfall to the festival
- Book Releases on Popular yesteryear tinsel town artists like Rajkumar and Saroja Devi by well-known authors were arranged
- Created a face to the festival by bringing Girish Kasaravalli to the forefront
- Visiting International Producers and Directors were highlighted through interactions with media on all days
- Similar interactions were arranged with Indian producers and directors
- Facilitated recall of all dignitaries from the film fraternity through the media activities
- Luminaries like Yeddyurappa, Shanta Ram, and all popular artists from regional cinema like Ramesh Aravind were highlighted endorsing the festival
- Identification and recognition of the film celebrities prior to the screening of every movie was instrumented to generate publicity
- Daily intimation to the media on the day to day wrap up was carried out
Result:
- Generation of phenomenal media exposure catapulted Bengaluru Film Festival to the league of the Celebrated Goa Film Festivals
- Daily exhaustive media exposure resulted in unaccomodatably packed houses at all screens
- Created awareness and unparalleled recall of Suchitra film society’s initiatives
