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IFFLA 2008 : 48 Hours to Fireworks
By oz (21 views)
(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
Loading ...“I need 29 bags I need 29 bags”
There are six of us stuffing gift bags with various goodies for guests in the courtyard. Inside another twenty odd volunteers are busy getting gift bags ready for a different set of guests. The phone rings…
“Hi oz, this is Bipin…. Bipin Nadkarni”
My back hurts, my sinus headaches acting up in the chill flowing around AFI campus, I need my 29 bags for the event I’m managing, and in all that, the brain fails to register who is Bipin Nadkarni.
Mercifully the blank state of mind flows back into gear… darn that’s the brilliant director of Marathi Movies who’s movie has been selected for the festival.
Problem.
He’s at the airport.
Problem.
He’s trying to find his pickup… the volunteer sent to get him from the airport. Damn…
Pass the phone to Felicia.
Nitin, who handles the entire complex transport system for the festival, is off dialing the number of the person who’s supposed to pick Bipin up.
He’s there. He’s there! It’s working as per the plan. Hearbeats back to normal. Thumping stops. Breaths return to normal.
“I need 29 bags. I need 29 bags.”
Hands start moving again. Each filling his share of stuff in the bag and passing it on to the next person…
Did I get my meeting list right? Should I go over it once more, check if the filmmaker v/s the Hollywood executives I’ve invited for the One-on-One meetup are gonna move in the exact sequence? Need to check that once more.
“The green bags are out… we need more green bags” I rush inside Manor House @ AFI to open another carton of green bags. Bump into Christina…
“The sequence list… I need to go over it with you quickly”
She’s rushing out to get a new load of cartons from the trucks… We quickly go over stuff… It’s all right… Nothings wrong. Stop Panicking!!!
“GREEN BAGS GREEN BAGS”
Darn. I rush in and pick up a fresh carton.
Film festival. It seemed so okay to take up responsibilities at the festival, managing just one single event. And it just became bigger and bigger. Overwhelming at times. Exciting all the time. And to think the rest of the behind the scenes people are doing 10 times more stuff… without any pay, out of pure love, volunteering for building a festival for Indian Cinema, year after year, for the last six years…
Hats off to them! Someone passes me a list.
“What food should we stock the refrigerator with for the filmmakers who will be staying at the house we’ve rented”
THAT I am good at. Eggs, bread, butter, tea, I start dictating…
“We need PW’s Bollywood report in these gift bags” Someone announces from the corner. Felicia and I rush in to see if we can have any spares…
Ready to cook frozen Indian food. Buy “Deep” they are the best brand here, I go as I rush in.
It’s the biggest IFFLA ever. With Sriram Raghavan, Sudhir Mishra, Kundan Shah, Revathy, Anurag Kashyap, Shivajee Chandrabushan, Richie Mehta, Nishikant Kamat, and so many more including Madhuri Dixit!!!
Samuel Goldwyn calls in… Picturehouse is next… followed by distributors who want to make last minute confirmations for my event where the Hollywood industry will meet the Filmmakers…
Am I breathing… yes… mercifully… someone jokes, it cracks us up…
People are rushing left, right and center… last minute checks, sheets in hand, reconfirmations, calls, files, folders… now in its sixth year, the process is in place and everyone knows their job. I look up to see a glass of water being offered… it’s touching… between the multiple calls and getting the bags ready, I forgot how thirsty I was.
Volunteers running to load and unload boxes, and many aren’t even Indian! It’s just movies and their love to support good cinema… for 20 year olds to those past sixty… they are all there… I drink in the scene, there’s an odd sense of serenity in all this commotion…
48 hours to go, for the biggest IFFLA to take off. It’s big… It’s simply beautiful!
“I need my 29 bags!!!” I scream as I rush back to get the job done and drive home… It’s a beautiful day.
PS. PFC will have a get together at Arclight on Friday evening - the venue of the festival. Readers, authors, filmmakers will be getting together for a short while over a few drinks (April 25th). Hope to see you there!
20 Responses to “IFFLA 2008 : 48 Hours to Fireworks”
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Darn the job of feeding myself… I so wish I were there running with Christina and the gang…
Thursday baby! Thursday for the rush to begin…
All the best guys!
Oz bhai… awesome prose! I can so totally visualize the scene…
A festival with THESE filmmakers! Great! Hats off to everyone at IFFLA. IMHO, THESE are the films we should be showing off to the world, not the stereotypical song-n-dance colour co-ordinated stuff
reading all this..i have tears in my eyes..for real..how the hell i wished i cud have been there…last year was surreal…and that was the turning point of my life…one year…one year..that changed a whole lot to you..and you promise to yourself never to miss this event again…and i feel like shit to miss this one…
Y’all have a great time..and have fun…i love eevryone at IFFLA…amazing grp of ppl…
Goodluck..IFFLA will be great this year…
Wow !! Feels like I am already into it !!
Looking forward to the PFC meet on Friday. Whats the time ? ( because Friday is the only day I can roam in LA city…I have to fly back to Dxb on 26th night )
Wow !! Madhuri is coming !! which show ? I hope on Saturday afternoon show. Will have to shake hands with her for sure :D
everyday i want to dream stay by my side……everyday i want to fly….stay by my side….
donno what connection with this post but have been humming this since long….
HAVE A CRACKER OF A FESTIVAL……ALL THE VERY BEST….:d/:d/
wow…simply wow…all the best….while reading the post felt as if m there
@Vasanbala
What’s the latest on Aamir? Been a long time since you blogged about it.
promos are on air….it should be hitting the screens in may second week
Woo Hoo!
I’ll be there this year as well. Oz… See you on Tuesday.
Cheers,
Chandra
I remember waiting for 2 hours at LAX last year, before someone came to pick me up - and Nitin didn’t even pick up the phone! Hope it doesn’t happen this year! ;)
@Srinivas, this year I will pick you up from LAX and dump you in a gangster neighborhood ;)
Thursday Oz, Thursday. The Gang is coming to make this one another success.
All the best team!
i hopefully should finish my shoot on 25th and be there last moment.. first time i m missing most of it..
anu: forget the “hopefully” part…i do not want to even hear this word…sat and sun are the best days!! full of films, less formalities and sponsor related events…
Pretty much reflects what happened at AFI yesterday. You da maan, Oz!
super-o!
FRAMES reports!
bhangra paa le.. (oye oye)
aaja aaja! :d/
i’m eagerly waiting for it too…my big bro is in the film,the one by ayush raina…hopefully,things go fine….n yes,good luck to u all for IFFLA,08
Srinivas.. last year you were just Srinivas.. this year you are a returning filmmaker. I am sure we will make you wait for 3 hours this time. LoL :d/
Anurag Kashyap looks old in that pic on IFFLA website :D