Over 40 filmmakers have issued a joint appeal following the alleged limited and inconvenient showtimes allotted to Kanu Behl-directed feature Agra, which released on November 14.
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On Monday, 46 leading voices of India’s independent film community, including Payal Kapadia, Rima Das, Nandita Das, Ajitpal Singh, Alankrita Shrivastava, Megha Ramaswamy, Raam Reddy, Ruchi Narain, Shaunak Sen, Shonali Bose, Varun Grover and Vasan Bala, came together to call for fair and equal opportunities for independent films to be showcased in cinemas across the country.
This comes after Behl objected to the show timings given to Agra, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, and called for support on social media.
In their appeal, the filmmakers pointed out that this problem is much bigger than how one film is treated. Independent films across India routinely struggle to get fair access in theatres, they said.
The primary concerns include “very limited” screenings, morning-only or weekday-only shows, sudden cancellations, no clarity on how shows are allocated, and priority being given to big-budget releases in multiplexes.
They also expressed their concern over how streaming video platforms have become harder to access, as they depend heavily on box office numbers — creating an unfair cycle where indie films get fewer shows but are expected to “perform”.
The filmmakers called for at least one accessible evening show for every independent film and transparent screen-allocation criteria. They also demanded monthly or quarterly indie showcase cycles and support from cultural centres and alternative venues. They also urged streamers not to rely only on theatrical success while acquiring a title.
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The filmmakers underlined “the collective need for a healthier ecosystem” for Indian independent cinema.
Other filmmakers who supported the plea included Arati Kadav, Ashim Ahluwalia, Bauddhayan Mukherji, Bhaskar Hazarika, Chaitanya Tamhane, Dominic Megam Sangma, Gurvinder Singh, Haobam Paban Kumar, Hardik Mehta and Honey Trehan.
