Kerala film fest as good as IFFI: Mohanan

PANAJI - The Kerala film festival, beginning Dec 11 in Thiruvananthapuram, will be as good as it can get when it comes to a quality movie jamboree compared to the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), its organisers have said.

“IFFK is well received, well attended but there are no red carpets. It is bigger, grander, our cinema halls are full unlike here and we try to pick the best of films,” K.R. Mohanan, director of International Film Festival of Kerala (IIFK), told reporters here Thursday at a press conference organised at the ongoing IFFI.

The IFFK will be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and this year’s Oscar winners A.R. Rehman, Resul Pookutty and Gulzar will be honoured at the fest.

Mohannan said the IFFK will commemorate the 50th year of the Cuban revolution by showcasing nine Cuban films in the ‘Country Focus’ section.

A retrospective on legendary Indian filmmaker Mrinal Sen, Mexican filmmaker Arturo Ripstein, Japanese director Mikio Naruse, French filmmaker Jacques Tati and Malaysian filmmaker Lohitadas will also be showcased.

The ‘Malayalam Cinema Today’ section will host seven contemporary Malayalam films, while Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck and Thai filmmaker Pen-Ek Ratanaruang have been invited to screen their films in the ‘Contemporary Masters’ section.

This year 14 films including four Indian movies will vie for the prestigious Golden Crow Pheasant award in the competition section.

“IFFK will pay a tribute to master artists Kamala Surayya, Sobhana Parmeswaran Nair, K.P. Thomas, Adoor Bhawani, etc,” said Mohanan.