Indian films at Palm Springs Film Festival

When I came to Palm Springs in 1989, I noted that besides the film festival, local theatres screened only English language films. Looking for variety, a friend and I passed a petition to have one theatre-screen foreign films with our support. Since then, commercial theatres have been screening foreign films, and Indian films too find an audience. They tend to have a western connection (Water, Brick Lane, Namesake). Even so, it is a major step forward.

In Palm Springs, I restored Cass Cody the oldest historical inn/hotel in the city. The following year (1990) the city founded its film festival and I became a sponsor offering my hotel and also a volunteer. In 1998, when Sai Paranjpye came with Saaz and Vijay Singh with Jaya Ganga, I sensed our ignorance of the Indian film scene. The ultimate indication a while later was when I discovered that Deepa Mehta’s Fire had not been invited.
With permission from the festival director, I started visiting Indian film festivals every year to increase my knowledge of Indian cinema and to select films. I began collecting DVDs and started a “Friends of Foreign Films” group meeting at my house, every week or twice a month. It gave me the opportunity to show classics. Very recently I screened Chaudhvin Ka Chand.

I believe that with exposure comes understanding. That’s why I have been screening at least eight to ten handpicked Indian films every year as an official segment of the Palm Springs festival keeping both variety and local audiences in mind. My films are eligible for the audience vote and I am happy that at least 4 or 5 of my Indian films feature among the top ten. The most popular have been Monsoon Wedding, Lagaan, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., Water, A Peck On The Cheek, Mr & Mrs Iyer, Bend It Like Beckham. In 2003 we had a successful Bollywood - Hollywood programme, the highlight of which was a tribute to Madhuri Dixit and a screening of the Oscar-nominated Devdas. We annually invite two or three directors and actors of the films I screen. I have also selected Indian films for the Bangkok International Film Festival and for Cancun Festival in Mexico.
Although an incomplete answer, my favourite directors are Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mani Ratnam and Deepa Mehta .... I am looking forward to being at Osian’s Cinefan in New Delhi to gather Indian films for the 2009 Palm Springs festival.”