India's Indie Film Crisis: Why 'Agra' Limited Release Sparks Industry Battle

The joint statement came in the wake of the limited theatrical release of Kanu Behl's 'Agra', which was also screened at international festivals.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Kanu Behl shared the joint statement highlighting the challenges for India's Independent filmmakers regarding "fair access", "exhibition inequity", and "shrinking space for Independent Cinema."

"Over the last decade, Indian independent cinema has carried the country's creative identity to the world, premiering at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Locarno, Rotterdam and Busan. These films have expanded the idea of what indian stories can be. They have been celebrated globally for their honesty, courage and craft. And yet, within India, these films continue to fight simply to be seen," the statement read.

It highlighted the alleged "systemic pattern" which includes limited screenings, inconvenient time slots, and a lack of transparency in programming decisions.

"This reality has resurfaced sharply with the limited release of Agra, directed by Kanu Behl. The film, acclaimed internationally, awarded at festivals, and embraced by cinephiles, has struggled to secure fair and accessible showtimes across multiplexes despite significant audience interest, extensive media coverage, and organic buzz," the statement read.

"But this is not about one film. This is part of a long-standing systemic pattern affecting all independent films in India. Small and mid-budget films across languages routinely face: Severely limited screenings, Morning-only or weekday-only slots, Sudden show cancellations, A lack of transparency around programming decisions and Imbalanced prioritisation of big-budget releases," independant filmmakers said.

The joint statment also argued that the current situation for independent films in India is unsustainable due to the reliance of OTT platforms on theatrical performance as a "prerequisite for acquisition."

It becomes difficult for them as they are simultaneously denied theatrical access, added the Joint statement.

"Meanwhile, OTT platforms once heralded as the democratic frontier now increasingly rely on theatrical performance as a prerequisite for acquisition. This creates a closed-loop ecosystem where independent films are asked to prove themselves in theatres while simultaneously being denied theatrical access," read the joint statement.

The Indie community filmmakers urged the exhibitors, OTT platforms, policymakers, and cultural institutions to implement structural reforms to ensure fair access and visibility for Indian independent films.

"As a collective community of filmmakers, writers, producers and artists working across regions, we urge exhibitors, OTT platforms, policymakers and cultural institutions to address this crisis with structural reforms: Equitable Showtimes. Guarantee minimum accessible show slots, including at least one post-6 PM screen for all indian independent films releasing theatrically. Transparency in Programming. Publish the criteria for screen allocation across chains to ensure fairness and accountability," read the joint statement.

Here's a look at the joint statement,

https://www.instagram.com/p/DRK4C9IDDjY/?

The joint statement has been signed by 46 members of the India's independent Film Community as per the joint statement.

It includes notable independent filmmakers like Anuparna Roy, Kanu Behl, Nandita Das, Vasan Bala, Payal Kapadia, Rima Das, Alankrita Shrivastava, and Shonali Bose.

- ANI