INSTEP Magzine

instep analysis
The KaraFilm Festival plans to go ahead without Bollywood and big bucks
Even though corporations have pulled out of sponsoring the KaraFilm Festival, the organizers of this prominent event are putting their best foot forward to make it happen. Instep takes a look at how Kara will be going back to its modest roots this year, as their regression has been ushered in due to the lack of money and debilitating security.

By Saba Imtiaz

Every city has its cultural institution around which its axis tends to revolve. In Karachi, that is the KaraFilm Festival, an event that has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception in 2001. What was a small festival in a tiny venue with one screening hall, and a crowd comprised of people that one tended to see at every day of the Festival exploded into an event with major sponsors, heavy media presence, multiple venues, grandiose opening and closing ceremonies, and most notably: a heavy dose of Bollywood. It started off with Mahesh and Pooja Bhatt, and in the years after one saw Ajay Devgan and Irrfan Khan at the screenings of their films.

That dose of Bollywood was like the wildest fantasy come true. This was before the very recent import of Indian films into cinema, and suddenly the actors who had only been seen on televisions via pirated DVDs were up, close and personal. It was only natural that the hysteria translated itself into added hype to the Festival. What was an event that film aficionados would flock to, became one where society begums would push and shove their way in to meet the stars of Omkara and Maqbool in person.

And while one wondered what would happen to the twice-postponed seventh edition of the Festival post the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the answer came in a very recent public missive from Hasan Zaidi, the Festival Director. Kara's sponsors for the scheduled Festival in February 2009 have pulled out at the last minute citing the global economic recession as a reason for their withdrawal of financial support.

This has left the organizers in a lurch and they have now launched a fundraising appeal for five million rupees to be able to run the Festival on schedule. What this means is that the organizers are now pulling together a scaled back, minimal version of Kara: cutting down on a venue, minimizing the number of films that will be screened and not having the opening and closing ceremonies among other measures. Without sponsorship and with a worsening security situation and diplomatic impasse the Festival will be subtracting the same elements that made it a hot ticket to a larger audience in the first place and attracted a media circus of sorts.

The timing of it all is ironic. Barring a miracle, it clearly looked impossible that a Bollywood contingent would arrive at Kara this year, and that already translates into less publicity and fanfare. While the economic recession has hit everyone and corporations are no exception, what is interesting to note is that even in these times, sponsored events are still taking place. And these are events that have absolutely nothing to do with Bollywood such as the World Performing Arts Festival, Chicago, the highly successful musical that just completed its second run in Karachi and is now touring Lahore, Shark's stand-up comedy tour that went to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, and other musicals and drama performances that take place in all major cities.

It is extremely unfortunate that companies are not stepping up to the plate to support Kara, an event which not only brings together filmmakers from all over the world, screens films and displays art, it is an event that seeks to educate people on films through the quality of the work put up, as well as the discussions that are part of the Festival. With or without Bollywood, Kara is a fantastic endeavour that needs the support of those who can pay to be able to go ahead. It should not be contingent on the presence of stars from across the border. .And this isn't just the case in Pakistan: look at any country in the world and the major events of the year are still going ahead, be it the Academy Awards or Paris Couture Week or theatre festivals in India.

While one could argue that these are platforms that have been around for decades, one must remember that they still have the same elements attached to them,of corporate sponsorship and support from the communityThese much-established events abroad are still looking at ways to prioritize, and even get funding from non-traditional sponsors. Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls, will be sponsoring New York Fashion Week this year and even though several designers in the US have opted out of showing within the pricier tents and are doing low-key shows, they will still be present. In a nutshell, this is how one adapts with the times.

At home, organizers of platforms such as Kara and Carnival de Couture have prioritized what they need to do to make their events actually take place this year.
The organizers of Carnival -- a magnum opus fundraiser event that has brought in big name Bollywood superstars and Indian fashion designers over the past few years - are looking at bringing in a designer from Lebanon to replace the Indian designers that were slated to show at the event.
The grandiose events that Kara and Carnival are have attracted huge crowds, and a rush for pricey tickets in Carnival's case. While Kara has its own cult audience that have been loyally attending the Festival since its inception, one wonders whether those who flocked to Kara for the glitz and glamour will deign to support a more localized version of the Festival? One would hope the answer to be yes, yet that is a question one can only answer when the Festival takes off on February 4.

After all, even the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop faced similar problems last year including lack of sponsorship and support - but they were undeterred and put together a brilliant World Performing Arts Festival in Lahore – one which citizens of Lahore took ownership of by marking their attendance in throngs particularly as a mark of solidarity on the closing day.

Yet the absence of Bollywood that one will see at both Kara and Carnival this year makes one think whether the glamorous expectations many associate with both these events can be lowered. While Bollywood has had, is and will continue to be a dominating presence in our lives via cinema and television, one wonders whether that same buzz and excitement can be generated at an event where only local filmmakers and stars are present. Having personally attended several Kara events focusing on Pakistani shorts, films and discussions with filmmakers that have brought in large audiences (though not as hysterical as those that went to see Omkara) it is entirely possible.

This situation with events being scaled down or altered whether it is film, fashion or cricket makes one ask the proverbial question of 'is the glass half empty or half full?' Cynical souls would say that the glass is half empty and that this is a sign that the security situation and economic recession has completely taken hold of everything enjoyable. But for the optimistic that have seen a turbulent country like Pakistan get up every time it has been knocked down this is a tailor made opportunity. An opportunity to get up, volunteer, fundraise and prove that Karachi needs these events to take place.

Novelist and journalist Mohammed Hanif, who recently wrote a brilliant piece for the Times of India dispelling common myths about Pakistan including 'Pakistan is a failed state' put it best: "If it is, then Pakistanis have not noticed. Or they have lived in it for such a long time that they have become used to its dysfunctional aspects.

Trains are late but they turn up, there are more VJs, DJs, theatre festivals, melas, and fashion models than a failed state can accommodate. To borrow a phrase from President Zardari, there are lots of non-state actors like Abdul Sattar Edhi who provide emergency health services, orphanages and shelters for sick animals."

After all, the surge of citizen activism one saw after the crackdown on the judiciary in early 2007 and the imposition of Emergency later that year, proved that despite appearances, we are not an apathetic nation. That same spirit has imbued the KaraFilm Festival, a platform that have consistently been driven by the hordes of youth who visit them as well as volunteer at the Festival.

One element that must be applauded is the determination in the air. Kara will not be postponed beyond its current dates. In his email explaining the circumstances and launching the fundraising appeal, Hasan Zaidi, the Festival Director wrote, "We have seen what the Festival is capable of achieving and how it has revitalized a cinema culture in Pakistan, built bridges between Pakistani and international filmmakers, initiated an environment of debate and inter-cultural tolerance, and encouraged creativity especially among the youth. And we have given too much of our lives and have too many hopes for it to let it die. We intend to go through with the Festival on the scheduled dates even if it means we have to drastically scale back the Festival and its activities, cut down on venues and film screenings, and apologize to invited guests for being unable to bring them to Karachi. We will have the Festival regardless but how much of it we can pull off depends entirely on how much we can afford. We intend to carry on against all the odds."

This is the spirit that we need, and it is a spirit one hopes to see imbued in the audiences who should show up to support Kara. This is not a time to let Kara be hijacked because corporations backed out of sponsoring it and no Bollywood presence. As Kara puts its best foot forward and concentrates on making it happen, so should its audiences and patrons of the arts who must come out in support.