Transforming and touching: Toronto to Panjim

Sitting in a corner of the coffee shop, in a suave tan jacket,with his eyes surveying the surroundings, one could easily mistake CameronBailey as one of the spectators at the Film Bazaar rather than a speaker andmember of the jury for film screenings. “I can’t help it. You have the perfectmix all in this one room. You have the director of Cannes in one corner, abudding filmmaker chatting with one of the country’s biggest producers abouthis latest project in another, and then you have me wasting space,” Baileyquips. “Seriously though, with this kind of a buzz, it is no wonder that thecountry’s film industry is perennially successful,” he hastily adds.

In his role in Toronto, Bailey is responsible for the boththe vision as well as the execution of festival programming.  As such, he has proven himself to be anauthority in the planning of events such as IFFI. “To be honest, my involvementis more with the Film Bazaar, and as such, most of my understanding of eventsis through what other people tell me. However, the planning of any event ofsuch magnitude should be like a military operation; it should go off likeclockwork. This is where I believe that IFFI could take a leaf out of the FilmBazaar’s book. The planning here, for the most part, has been spot on.”

Having been involved in film from several angles includingthose of a playwright, critic, and journalist, Bailey explains what he believesgoes into the finding of a good film. “Thorough scouting. I have discoveredmovies from the most obvious, to the most obscure places. I once watched amovie in Mumbai. I was cooped up in a sweltering apartment, but the movieturned out to be a massive discovery at that year's Festival. At the other endof the spectrum, I have also seen excellent festival films at red carpet Cannespremieres. It really doesn't matter where you see a film. Great cinema alwaysleaves its mark on you. You just have to watch for it.”

Bailey proceeds to sign off with yet another message forplanners looking for perfection. “What is paramount is to have the organisingcommittee work hands-on from the festival's opening night, to film selection,to the people handling beverages. For instance, my motto at TIFF is totransform the way people see the world through film, so indirectly, it is totransform the audience. It is to inspire and touch them. I have attempted doingso with everyone I have met here. I have even done it in this conversation. Whoknows? It may have worked.”