The 6th edition of the Khajuraho International Film Festival (KIFF) is being organised both offline and online owing to Covid-19 guidelines with 40% of the festival lineup happening in virtual mode. The film festival is being held in Khajuraho from 17 to 23 December 2020. Its major highlight will be the segment ‘Tumko Na Bhool Payenge’, a tribute to the legendary personalities of world cinema whom we lost this year. KIFF is the brainchild of Raja Bundela and takes place in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh government. “We have increased the number of tapra (tent) talkies to 12 this year. We have arranged 20 mobile vans to screen films in remote villages. Each mobile van will show only one movie per village and every day we plan to cover 100 villages through these 20 vans. That’s 700 villages in 7 days,” reveals Bundela.
KIFF is known for its vibrant cultural evenings and this year the focus will be on folk. “We have shifted our evening lineup to an online format this year and have partnered with an online video streaming OTT platform SKY 9, for the same,” says Bundela.
Over the years, he has used the festival to give a push to the local cinema from the Bundelkhand region. “Every year we show Bundelkhandi films in tapra talkies but despite our best efforts, we haven’t been able to ensure distribution rights for these local films. But this year we are trying something new. For this also, we have tied up with SKY 9. Along with tapra talkies, we will have these stalls where their films (short films, feature, and documentaries) will be screened,” he asserts.
The KIFF 2020 will also host masterclasses, workshops, and discussions on various subjects. “We have invited acting students from Madhya Pradesh’s School of Drama. The likes of Piyush Mishra, Shakti Kapoor, Anup Jalota, Pankaj Dheer and Ronit Roy will be visiting the festival and these young actors will have a healthy interaction with these veterans,” rejoices Bundela.
The film festival will feature a special segment aimed at spreading awareness about child trafficking. He elaborates, “There is a big concern in the country as well as in the state over the issue of child trafficking. We have a whole segment on this issue and will be screening films and hosting discussions around it. Places like Mandla and Bastar in Madhya Pradesh are worst hit. Girls are more prone to it. They are picked up by the traffickers at a very young age and sold out and over the next 10-15 years, their names are changed so many times that it becomes impossible for the government to trace them as these girls lose their identity in the process. We want to increase awareness about child trafficking through this segment.”
This year the festival will be putting a spotlight on the Bundelkhandi heritage and a strong emphasis on promoting its local art and craft, food, costume and culture. An NGO called Bundeli Virasat has done extensive research about where the stones for the world-famous temples in Khajuraho came from and has come on board voluntarily for KIFF 2020. “There is an artwork by Ashok Shrivastav who has created it from the roots of the trees that fall in the forest. We have decided to make The tourist guides will be brand ambassadors of KIFF 2020. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be inaugurating the film festival and Governor Anandiben Patel will be there for the closing ceremony along with Jyotiraditya Scindia,” sums up Bundela.
