Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jan 19: The three-day Coastal Film Festival, organised as part of the Karavali Utsava celebrations, was inaugurated on Monday January 19 with producer-director Richard Castelino lighting the ceremonial lamp and extending his best wishes for the event.
Addressing the gathering, Richard Castelino said that organising such a film festival to encourage Tulunadu–based language films was a positive development. He noted that regional cinema has a promising future and recalled that subsidies had been provided during his time. However, he pointed out that subsidies have been discontinued for the past two to three years and stressed that all regional film stakeholders must raise their voices on the issue.
Actor-director Raj B Shetty, in his address, said that as the number of cinema viewers increases, new stories also emerge. He observed that the coastal region, with its rich cultural traditions such as Yakshagana, Hulivesha and other folk dance forms, continues to give rise to new storytelling formats. He also highlighted the role of cinema in promoting tourism and said that establishing a permanent film set in the region would attract more investment and create employment opportunities.
Actor-director Vijayakumar Kodialbail, producers H Srinivas, Dhanaraj R, Prakash Pandeshwar, Sachin S, Big Cinemas’ Balakrishna Shetty, film festival organiser Yateesh Baikampady, District Urban Cell planner Dr G Santosh Kumar, and senior assistant director of the Department of Information and Public Relations B A Khader Shah were present on the occasion. The programme was compered by Anurag Bangera.
The festival is being jointly organised by the Karnataka Department of Tourism and the Tulu Film Producers’ Association. Movie lovers in the city will get a unique opportunity to watch several films free of cost at a theatre as part of the festival.
The Coastal Film Festival will be held over three days on January 19, 20 and 21 at Bharat Cinemas, Mangaluru. A variety of films will be screened during the festival, offering audiences an engaging cinematic experience.
Film enthusiasts can collect tickets directly from the counter, and entry to all screenings will be completely free of cost.