The 22nd edition of the International film festival of Kerala will begin tomorrow at Nishagandhi Auditorium. Considering the mishap caused by the Ockhi Cyclone disaster, it has been decided to call off the inaugural celebrations of the fest, informed Cultural affairs Minister A.K. Balan in a press conference held here today. The fest will officially begin by paying condolence to the deceased in the disaster. Bengali actress Madhabi Mukherjee and Actor Prakash Raj will be present for the first screening, ‘The Insult’ directed by Ziad Doueiri.
Taking critical political stands, IFFK stands out from rest of its kind which only consider the entertainment value of films, said A.K. Balan. The competition section includes films of third world countries only, especially the Afro-Asian and Latin American. This is an example of the political stand above mentioned.
Marco Mueller, who was the festival director of various international film festivals is the Jury Chairman of IFFK this year. Film directors T.V Chandran, Columbian actor Merlin Moreno, French editor Mary Stephen, African Film Critic Aboubakar Sanogo are the rest of the Jury Members.
65 films from 190 countries will be screened in the fest.
The competition section includes 14 films of which 2 are Malayalam. Films will be exhibited in 20 various categories like Indian Cinema Today, Malayalam Films Today, Contemporary masters in focus, Retrospective, Identity and Space. The fest will pay homage to the renowned cinema personalities K.R.Mohanan I.V. Sasi ,Kundan Shah,Om Puri, and Jayalalitha.
A total of 8848 seats are arranged in various theatres in the town. 11000 passes are issued. A variety of workshops and Lecture series are also arranged.
The fest will give due importance for the Safety of Women attendees, Said Beena Paul, Artistic director of the festival. The number of lady volunteers has been increased to insure women safety. A complaint committee is setup to look into the issues. Attendees can raise their complaint at talktous@iffk.in, she added. Special facilities are arranged for the differentially-abled people and senior citizens.
Kamal, Chalachithra Academy Chairman and Festival director, Mahesh Panju, IFFK executive director, Sibi Malayil, Chalachithra Academy Executive Council Member were also present at the press conference held at Mascot Hotel
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