Written by Vaishnavi Gujar
One of the most acclaimed filmmakers in world cinema, Serbian director Goran Radovanović, whose film Enclave was selected as Serbia’s official entry to the Academy Awards in the foreign language category, addressed a key concern facing filmmakers today during a workshop at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) on Sunday: “How European and independent cinema competes with great American cinema: lessons for regional cinema.”
In a city that has long raised generations of aspiring filmmakers working with limited budgets and resources, Radovanović offered concrete advice. “Instead of pursuing big themes and big budget movies, make small films based on local stories and themes from your own region. That’s where the future is. Create films about topics that really interest you and that give you creative satisfaction. Don’t run after prizes. Instead of focusing solely on major film festivals, take your films to smaller arts festivals and digital platforms. Present your work in smaller countries and create your own platforms,” he said.
Among those in attendance was PIFF festival president Jabbar Patel. Reflecting on the state of European cinema, Radovanović said that several funding initiatives have been introduced to revive cinema across the continent. “Many countries have begun to collaborate in film production. However, due to a strong commercial orientation, although numerous films were made, they often lacked proper distribution,” he noted.
He added that the European Union later intervened to support the development of movie theaters. “Despite this, it is difficult to access big festivals without big names and big distributors, and political points of view are also taken into account. Therefore, independent filmmakers are increasingly turning to smaller festivals and digital platforms,” said Radovanović.
His observations resonated in the independent media. Indian filmmakers many of whom face similar struggles to realize their creative ambitions. Tracing the history of Western cinema, Radovanović noted that in the post-World War II period there was little distinction between American and European films. Italian cinema enjoyed global prominence, followed by the French New Wave, while Russian cinema also had considerable influence.
“Audiences responded well and cinema was an integral part of everyday life. Film festivals played a crucial role in promoting films. In the 1970s, the German New Wave emerged with the involvement of television networks. However, with the rise of American pop culture and video technology, traditional movie theaters began to decline. The collective experience of watching films declined as cinemas moved into shopping malls, leading to the erosion of film culture. original artistic performance,” he said, a comment that contained particular irony as the session took place at a PVR Multiplex inside the Pavilion Mall.
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Despite the challenges, Radovanović expressed optimism about Indian filmmakers. “Indian audiences are very educated and sensitive. The Indian film Court was a huge success in Europe and was screened at several small film festivals,” he said.
He also highlighted the barriers posed by the global festival circuit. “It is difficult to get into big festivals like Cannes and Venice without a strong distributor, and distributors often look for well-known names. For independent filmmakers, this makes entry extremely difficult. I have received letters from members of selection committees who appreciate my film, but explain that the festival’s policies prevent its selection. These policies, often framed as politically correct, strongly influence decisions today,” Radovanović added.