`A film maker must have a dialogue with the audience’

HYDERABAD, JAN 15: ``A film maker, through the medium of cinema, must have a dialogue with the audience,'' said the Italian maestro Berna...

HYDERABAD, JAN 15: “A film maker, through the medium of cinema, must have a dialogue with the audience,” said the Italian maestro Bernardo Bertolucci while accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Indian Government, in recognition of his contribution to the world of films here on Friday.

The award, instituted for the first time, will be given to a foreign film personality every year. It carries a gold medal, a citation and a certificate. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pramod Mahajan presented the award at a glittering function, arranged at one of the theatres screening the films during the International Film Festival of India, held here.

“As I receive this award, a storm of thoughts cross my mind. I have been directing films since my 21st year and I have passed through many difficult stages. During those days, I had to make many commercial compromises and I found film makers talking to themselves. When I started making film, I decided that it should help me to have adialogue with the audience,” he said.

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Becoming emotional, he said that he often wondered why he was making films. “Maybe through films I can analyse the society, or maybe in search of pleasure. For me personally, it is a moment of fantastic pleasure—-not necessarily for the audience perhaps,” he quipped.

According to Bertolucci, cinema is changing, with television taking away a large chunk of the audience. He planned his latest film Besieged for television. “Originally, it was of one hour duration, but later it was made for one and half hour,” he said and added that whenever he made a new film, he felt as if it were his first and last film.

He also acknowledged the contribution of the screenplay writer for this film. “We worked all 24 hours and even during sleep, we thought about this film only,” he said and added after a pause, “The script writer was none other, but my wife, Clare Peploe.”

Bertolucci said that when he made The Last Emperor in China, it was a revelation forhim to experience a new culture. “Then I went to Sahara for my next film, then on to Nepal and Bhutan for Little Buddha. I am fascinated by the culture of the east,” he said and hinted that he may plan his next film in India.

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On behalf of the Andhra Pradesh Government, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu presented a shawl and a `Little Buddha’ made of sandalwood. P G Mankad, Secretary, I & B welcomed the gathering.

Earlier, Bertolucci and his wife were brought to the dais amidst Vedic chants and nadhaswaram music, and as he entered the hall, the audience gave him a standing ovation and he was `besieged’ by photographers and film personalities from India.

The award function, which lasted 35 minutes, was followed by the screening of his latest film Besieged filmed on location in Rome and Kenya, and which Bertolucci calls “a piece of chamber music for cinema”.