International Film Festival of Kerala: 21st edition of prestigious fest to showcase 184 films

The organisers of the 21st edition of International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) have given entry passes to 13,000 film buffs who will be able to choose from a bouquet of around 184 national and international films in 10 sections, reports IANS. [caption id=“attachment_3146498” align=“alignleft” width=“385”]  Image courtesy: Iffk website[/caption] This year’s festival, always held in the capital city, runs between 9 December  to 16 December. The event will see 490 screenings at 13 screens and will cost Rs 7 crore. The IFFK, that’s staged soon after the International Film Festival of India in Goa, has over the years become a hugely popular festival in the world cinema circuit. It is organised by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy for the Cultural Affairs Department of the Kerala government. Academy chairman and veteran film director Kamal said this time there are various segments apart from the usual routine of film screenings. “Along with the festival, we are showcasing a folk festival which will see 150 artistes performing various folk arts,” he said. “Besides that, there will also be an interesting section which displays the yesteryear’s film notices, song books and similar curios. Then come seminars, symposiums and special sections that showcase Adoor Gopalakrishnan and K. Sethumadhavan,” said Kamal. “We spend around Rs 1 crore to get the films. Ours is a modest festival when it comes to spending, but in terms of rating, nationally ours is rated the best, while in Asia it has got a very high rating too. It’s not the spending that makes a festival rich, but its contents,” said Beena Paul, Artistic Director of the festival. The curtain raiser  included a flash mob by a popular radio channel, a performance by the Thrissur-based folk band Oorali and a screening of the critically acclaimed film Ottal. The Agriculture Minister V.S Sunil Kumar inaugurated the function by letting releasing 21 balloons into the sky to mark the festival’s 21 year run. R. Jayaraj’s Ottal (The Trap) had won all the top awards at the 20th edition of the IFFK in 2015 including a cash award of 15 lakhs as a part of The Suvarna Chakoram award. This year the opening film is The Parting; directed by the Afghan director and won big at the Berlin Film Festival this year. The film documents the love story of two Afghans whose search for a better life makes them illegal immigrants moving through Europe in search of a better life. The films competing for awards at the festival are from all over the world. Turkish Clair Obscure, Die Beautiful from Philippines, China’s Knife in the Clear Water, Sink from South Africa among others. The festival is also going to screen Muhammad: The Messenger of God the controversial by Iranian director Majid Majidi; who is now working with Deepika Padukone for his next film . Another film to watch out for is The Nights of Zayandeh-rood. Originally released in Iran in the 1990, the film was banned because of its controversial content. Its restored version is being screened in the Special Screening section. - Compiled using IANS inputs