Suresh called, and it was a conference call. Jai, Yoga, Pasu, and Stalin were all present.
Suresh told me they had all thought about and discussed all the difficulties I had raised and that they were all ready to take on the challenge of organising the film festival in December.
It was a great surprise.
I don’t have a choice now. I, too, must take the challenge.
I know well that “a lone wolf is a dead wolf,” and therefore, putting together a competent team for action is critical. It’s vital to find the suitable individual for the right job; I’ve previously worked with Yoga and Pasu, but Jai, Suresh, and Stalin are new to me. I quickly realized that the team possesses a diverse skill set, which is crucial for pulling off the film festival in a stylish manner. And it is a blessing if the team has the same mindset as you.
The work started.
We launched the Ooty Film Festival 2021 on October 15th, 2021.
The first thing we did was create a plan and proposal with goals and objectives, as well as a budget. I believe it is critical to determine where we are before deciding on a course of action. We have established the goals and objectives since the first edition, but developing a budget is critical.
One rigorous requirement I imposed on the team members was that we adhere to the plan at all costs. We may encounter situations and obstacles that force us to halt the festival, but we will stick to our original plan. The pathway to the goal is the plan.
I know that my strength is off the ground and more behind the scenes, coming up with strategies and everyday tactics. The team on the ground will execute tasks.
Because the film festival is a public event, getting permission from the government is critical. After a pandemic, obtaining permission becomes obligatory. I and Jai visited the Collectorate (District Administrative head office), where we had to get permission. The Collector and District Magistrate of the Nilgiri District was Ms. J. Innocent Divya, I.A.S. She is a powerful leader who is credited with removing all illegal construction in the elephant corridor and making the district plastic-free. We met her, briefed her on the festival, and requested permission and cooperation for the film festival. She has been wonderfully helpful since the festival’s second edition in 2017 and has always given her full support to our festival.
She enthusiastically agreed to be our Chief Guest for the inauguration and directed her team to carry out the necessary paperwork.
The next critical step in organizing a film festival is to select a curator and a jury committee. The curator is the chairman of the Jury Committee, and the Jury picks the films for screening and awards based on the curator’s supervision and advice. As a result, it is critical to select a curator with reliability who will provide you with honest criticism of the films submitted.
When it comes to selecting the curator, I take great care. If you find the best individual, the battle is half won, in my opinion. My team and I had lengthy discussions and deliberations. We whittled down a long-range of names from the Tamil and Malayalam film industry to one that we believed would be suitable for our short film festival.
I, Jai, and Yoga visited Mr. Gautham Vasudev Menon in his dubbing studio in Chennai.
Mr. Gautham is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. We discussed our festival and invited him to be our curator for this year’s edition. Despite his hectic and demanding work schedule, he accepted our invitation. This incident marks a significant turning point in our path. This festival would not have been possible without him.
Then we began to create websites, social media handles, and so on. The call for submissions was advertised on worldwide websites, approval from the government to organize the festival was obtained, and fundraising brochures were prepared. We have created a database of prospective funders.
Everything went public all over the world.
According to the plan, Jai leads the programme and fundraising. Suresh handles the event management, Yoga coordinates the call for submissions and also edits promotional videos, Pasu designs the publicity materials, and Stalin manages the social media.
On my computer, the fourth episode of Money Heist, “Your Place in Heaven,” was playing on Netflix. I was in heaven since everything was going according to plan.
The mood was upbeat, with lots of confidence and positivity in the air.
Yoga’s studio was taken over and converted into our Festival War Room.
Despite the fact that we did not raise a single penny, everything appeared to be in order.
Organizing a film festival may appear simple, but doing so in style demands a great deal of devotion and commitment. Our workforce is all part-time; everyone has personal and professional obligations.
The team’s time commitment to the event was limited, and there were no funds to reimburse them for their efforts.
What do you think? And what kind of mindset will you be in when you’re driving in top gear on a newly built superhighway and suddenly hit by a massive wall?
Yes, that is what happened to us; we hit a huge wall of threats, intense criticism, and accusations. The person who participated in organizing the second and third editions of the Ooty Film Festival issued a harsh statement and threatened to sue us for not including him in the fourth edition. He suggested either including him or changing the name of the festival. The threat was not issued directly to us but through our common friend.
It would be misleading to argue that he had no role in the establishment of the Ooty Film Festival. So I asked Jai to contact him and invite him to the festival’s fourth edition. The talk between them did not go well. He insisted on changing the name of the event, or else he would like to lead the festival with the previous crew. Despite my reservations about him, I’m ready to accept that person onto the team for his contribution to the previous festival, but not the entire old team.
The Ooty Film Festival has already established itself as a well-known name and brand. Our campaign was well underway. We began to receive entries. We submitted fundraising proposals to all possible sponsors, and key people were invited.
I was sure and firm in my belief that no one could dethrone me since I founded the Ooty Film Festival in 2016 and many people had come and gone since then.
I am selfish; I want the film festival to happen at whatever cost. Individuals may come and leave, but the festival must take place.
I am ready to surrender, but without subordination.
I resolved to take on the challenge, but the team had other ideas.
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