Even as the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2023 received praise from delegates, filmmakers, and the media for its seamless organisation, one factor played spoilsport - the absence of subtitles for certain films.
The British movie 'How to Have Sex,' screened at Nishagandhi on Sunday, faced this challenge, leaving many disappointed as the English slang proved difficult to comprehend, prompting some audience members to leave midway.
While some individuals may resist subtitles due to the constant need to read, it's nearly impossible to grasp the movie and its context without them in certain situations.
A delegate, attending the movie screening, shared that for the initial half-hour, they struggled to comprehend the actors' dialogue. Despite this challenge, they kept watching the movie with only a basic understanding of the unfolding events.
'Spirit of Cinema' award winner Wanuri Kahiu's movie 'Rafiki' also encountered a subtitle issue, though to a lesser extent. Certain Swahili dialogues lacked subtitles.
Sharath, another delegate, responded, saying, "Subtitles are important when English movies are screened at film festivals. Conversations in movies can be entirely different from how people speak with each other daily. Sometimes, a single word uttered by a character in the movie might be very crucial for the story, and the inability to understand that may affect the viewing experience of the film."
Filmmaker Prasanth Vijay also commented on this issue, saying, "I have often encountered this problem at many film festivals. English-language movies hardly come with subtitles. Although English is a universal language, it would be good if the organizers of every festival, not only IFFK, ensure that such subtitles are included."
