Since its inception four years ago, the India International Deaf Film Festival (IIDFF) has emerged as a powerful platform for deaf filmmakers and actors. Although the response — in terms of entries from different parts of India and abroad as well as event footfall — has been overwhelming over the past years, demonetization seems to have taken a toll on the number of movies registered by overseas artistes in the latest edition.Bangalore Times appraises the situation and also examines the future of silent filmsin India in the wake of the recently passed Disability Bill...
No-currency situation triggers fear
"Although arrangements were made to accommodate participants in hostels and hotels in the city, a sense of apprehension was noticed among those travelling from abroad to screen their films at the fest. This brought down the number of entries in the international films category in this edition, compared with earlier times. This also, in a way, hampered one of the primary objectives of the festival, which is to encourage and facilitate exchange of ideas among deaf filmmakers from different cultures and backgrounds," says festival coordinator Dr TR Ramakrishnan.
Execution of Disability Bill is crucial
According to jury member Sreejith Sreekandan — who is also a part of CBM, a non-profit-making organization which is associated with the festival — the biggest need of deaf people, or for that matter every differently-abled person, is to feel included in the society. "For many of them, filmmaking is a completely different world, which they are slowly exploring and through that giving a direction to their inherent talents. People should show their support and solidarity towards them, to keep them motivated and bridge the gap in communication. Several deaf youngsters are even making use of new-age technology and the internet to enhance their craftsmanship. The manner in which the norms comprising the new Disability Bill will be executed is expected to play a vital role in giving them a platform to express themselves as well as in their overall development," Sreejith says.
Curiosity about sign language
From the days of Charlie Chaplin's classics, when filmmaking was still at its nascent stage, to modern times, when a no-subtitles and no-voiceover movie can be as riveting and hard-hitting as its mainstream counterparts — silent films have come a long way, particularly in giving a voice to the creative geniuses of people who cannot hear. IIDFF, which solicits cinematic works of deaf directors and actors from across the globe, also aims to build interest among people about these creative pursuits as well as sign language.
"Let's not call them silent films. These shorts can actually speak volumes and hold the potential to make a strong impact in the creative world. The future of silent films in India looks bright. All they need is exposure and a little assistance," says sign language researcher Amaresh Gopalakrishnan, who was also a part of the jury panel.
This year's films have shown a remarkable improvement over the previous years' entries — in terms of cinematography, storyline and theme as well as acting skills. "It's been an overwhelming opportunity to be associated with such an initiative. The ideas put forth by the deaf artistes reflect the way they perceive the world. Even the props used are thought-provoking. In terms of awareness among people, there has an increase in the interest level regarding educational materials and modules about sign language over the past five years. Companies are also making efforts to provide information for deaf people, besides initiatives taken by NGOs to sensitize common masses. It is a positive change. We hope the trend continues and the recently passed Disability Bill helps to make life better for deaf people," Amaresh sums up.
A potpourri of creative pursuits
The short films at the festival were divided in one, five, 15 and 30-minute categories, projected on 35 mm digital format, with the theme being 'human relations among the deaf, hard for hearing and hearing'. Some 32 films from India were registered and 38 from other nations. The countries that participated include the US, the UK, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Iran, Austria, France, Afghanistan, Spain, Republic of Bolivarian, Ukraine, China, Portugal and Australia. Kerala bagged the maximum number of awards, followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, while Italy, Austria and Iran remained prominent in the international category.
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