Who's Watching? with Bedatri Datta Choudhury

Who’s Watching? is a recurring series on For Immediate Release. We spend so much time wondering what film programmers are looking for — this is where I turn the camera around.

Bedatri Datta Choudhury is a human jewel; she has good taste, she has good words, and a better heart. I am so glad she said yes to my intrusive questions. Thank you, Bedatri!

The film that made me want to work in festivals was… Goodbye, Lenin! (2003). I watched it in a film festival in Calcutta, where I grew up, and realised that it was someone’s job to decide what films get played at these festivals. I immediately declared to my mum, “I just want someone to pay me to watch movies.”

If I could only program one genre for the rest of my life… Hybrid documentaries, films that blur the binaries of fiction and non-fiction.

The filmmaker I'd most want to have a drink with after their Q&A (dead or alive) is… Forough Farrokhzad, and share a pack of Bahman. Easier and more approachable, Garrett Bradley and Hong Sang-soo.

Deep in selection season, the film that makes it all worth it is the one that… makes me deeply question my biases and question things I take for granted. The best films make me uncomfortable in the many hyphens I define my identity.

The best audience reaction I've ever witnessed at a screening was… the filmmaker needed a translator, so the Q&A couldn’t accommodate all the questions. They made me do a Q&A outside the theater on the sidewalk.

What do filmmakers misunderstand most about how festival programming works? That a rejection is a comment on the quality of the film. It often is, but not always. There are so many films we love that we end up saying no to because of budget, diversity goals, thematic cohesion, and a number of other reasons.

Is there a film you rejected that still haunts you? So many! Everyday!

I knew I was in the right job when… I first heard an audience member say “mm hmm” in response to a question I asked. Also, the first time I saw a screening I programmed had a rush line. So much of programming happens inside our heads, so it’s truly deeply validating to see others take an interest, spend time, and money to watch films that you feel deeply for.

Anything you’d like to add for filmmakers to know?

Negotiate, ask for a waiver, ask for a fee, ask for an extension. But also accept that everyone is running on a tight budget. Film festivals are nothing without your films.

Bedatri Datta Choudhury
Born and raised in India, Bedatri is a culture journalist and film festival programmer based in New York City.

Follow Bedatri on Instagram @bedatridc

If you want to go deeper on how to navigate the festival world — strategy, submissions, programming decisions, all of it — I’m writing a guide. Pre-order it here.