World has changed, but distribution challenges for small films remain: Kiran Rao

Filmmaker Kiran Rao on Friday said that even as the world of cinema has changed dramatically in the last decade with changing age demographic and the rise of streaming platforms, the fundamental challenge of distribution for small films has remained the same.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the Jagran Film Festival, the filmmaker said theatrical reach for independent films continues to be difficult, especially with post-pandemic decline in cinema-going.

''World has changed a lot since 'Ship of Theseus' but some challenges remain the same,'' Rao, 51, said, referring to filmmaker Anand Gandhi's 2012 drama which she had presented.

''The obstacle of securing a medium for distribution is just as challenging despite OTTs. There are many factors. There has been a contraction in the number of people that go to cinemas and there is also a change in the age demographic as there is now a much younger audience we are catering to,'' she added.

The filmmaker, known for directing critically-acclaimed movies such as ''Dhobi Ghat'' and ''Laapataa Ladies'', noted that audiences above the age of thirty, traditionally more open to slower, reflective cinema, have shrunk significantly, while the younger demographic has become dominant.

''Getting people out to see a film is a challenge on its own. The marketing remains challenging, how, where and to whom you are marketing the film is a science. All of this also needs a lot of funding which small films don't have and you can win any award in the world but without a few crores to spend on marketing, you cannot make the audience aware of your film,'' she added.

Rao, along with renowned documentary director Biju Toppo, recently joined filmmaker Aranya Sahay's innovative drama ''Humans in the Loop'' as executive producers.

The film is set to release through a combination of theatrical runs and curated independent showcases, opening in Mumbai on Friday, before travelling to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru from September 12.

She said the release model for the film is similar to the one they employed when ''Ship of Theseus'' came out.

Instead of depending on traditional distributors, the team is encouraging audiences, film clubs, and organisations to request screenings in their cities.

''The idea is that we know that the film is going to resonate with lots of people. (So) we are going to ask people to tell us whether they want us to release the film in their cities.

''We got great responses and you can write to us whether you are a film club or company. We just need a group of people interested in watching the film and we will bring the film to you.'' According to Rao, the aim is to bypass rigid commercial models and directly connect with viewers who are genuinely interested in a film.

''We want the distribution to go out of the hands of distributors because the formulaic way of distribution is just not working to get our films to the right audience. We are going to try doing this limited release in cities for a week to begin with to create word of mouth.'' Set in Jharkhand, the story of ''Humans in the Loop'' revolves around Nehma, a tribal woman who finds work at an AI data-labelling centre after her divorce.

Initially enthusiastic about her job, Nehma soon finds herself at odds with the data she is given to feed the machine. The film also explores Nehma's strained relationship with her teenage daughter, who longs to go back to the city.

Rao called ''Humans in the Loop'' an ''urgent and important'' film as it looks at how AI disrupts knowledge systems and labour.

''I think it will resonate with lots of people and like 'Ship of Theseus', it has got a deep philosophical foundation and is really profound. In order to reach our audience it will take years and therefore this film has a long shelf life. But if the word of mouth works we will bring the film to our audiences,'' she said.

Sahay, an alumnus of St Stephen's College and FTII, said his film was inspired by a news article on Adivasi women in Jharkhand interacting with AI but evolved into a larger exploration of how artificial intelligence is largely trained on first-world data.

''It's like Denis Villenue's 'Arrival' and Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar', it focuses on very big ideas like time dilation but there is the core familial relation in it. The string of my story is the mother-daughter relationship on which I hang the other elements of my story,'' he said.

''We don't know the future of technology. It may be integrated or alienated. I believe we are already cyborgs, these cellphones are just an extension of our arm. By 2035, we may reach this point of singularity and that may be harmful. If you have seen 'Back Mirror', those are the risks and it may go either way and we don't know yet,'' he added.

The Jagran Film Festival will run till September 7.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)