While Panaji had hosted over 3,000 delegates, IFFK, which starts on Friday, has already issued passes to around 7,000 delegates from across the country.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the film festival in Panaji drew to a close on Monday, film buffs have hardly a week to rest before flocking to Thiruvananthapuram for the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), the next show on the Indian festival calendar. While Panaji had hosted over 3,000 delegates, IFFK, which starts on Friday, has already issued passes to around 7,000 delegates from across the country.
“We have added 2,700 seats in three venues this time, anticipating the increased inflow of delegates. Content-wise, we are at a par with the IFFI, which is organised by the Union government,” said KR Mohanan, chairman of Kerala Chalachitra Academy, which conducts the festival. IFFK, which is into its 12th edition, has Czech director Jiri Menzel heading the jury to pick the best film from Third World.
“We have 14 films from Afro-Asian and Latin American countries vying for the Golden Pheasant,” Mohanan said. Agnidev Chatterjee’s Probhu Noshto Hoi Jai (Bengali), Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Nalu Pennungal (Four Women) and PT Kunhimohammed’s Pardesi (both Malayalam) are the Indian films in the fray.
“The highlight of our festival would be the packages on Balkan and Caribbean cinema. East Europe always gave us memorable movies. The Balkan package is an attempt to showcase the current scenario. The Caribbean package is titled Colonial Legacy. We have another package on women directors of Latin America,” he added.
If the festival has been showing around 40 films in the world cinema section in its previous editions, this year there are 66 movies from South Korea to Uruguay and Denmark to Australia. Adding to them are the retrospectives of Czech director Jiri Menzel, Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, South Korean director Im Kwon Taek and the late P Bhaskaran, Kerala’s own director-lyricist.
“An additional feature this year would be the introduction of marketing strategies, which is a hallmark of festivals like the Cannes. Sales agents like Celluloid Dreams would be coming to the festival. If we could send our films to festivals abroad, we will get a good sum as royalty,” he said.
“In Goa, there were so many films from around the world. You just had to go in blindly and if you were lucky you would get a good film. With IFFK, films are neatly organised into packages. There are new films from well-known filmmakers. So selection from the 100 odd movies would be easy,” said Shehnad Jalal, a cinematographer who just returned from Panaji.
s_don@dnaindia.net
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}