THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 22nd International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) got off to a rousing start on Friday with film enthusiasts of all ages queuing up for the opening film at the Tagore Theatre here. ‘King of Peking’ was the first movie to be screened at the main venue of the fete.
The film, a Chinese tale, evoked mixed reviews. ‘King of Peking’ portrays an ethereal father-son relationship, their passions, and how a projectionist father’s intense like for films, overpowers all the hurdles. The film, directed by Sam Voutas, reminded some of the famous movie ‘Cinema Paradiso’, and most of them termed it an entertainer of the top order. A section of the film lovers, who have flocked to the city for the festival, made it a point to be seated at the venue much before the film started.
Identity crisis in Bengali cinema
Legendary Bengali actor Madhabi Mukherjee, the chief guest at the opening movie screening at the 22nd edition of IFFK believes Bengali film industry is facing an identity crisis. The actor, in a special interaction with the IFFK official media cell, elaborated on the long lost glory of Bengal cinema and the participation of women in the arena.
Though there has been an increase in the involvement of women in the celluloid medium, there exists a dearth of films depicting social reality, she lamented. The films of socio-political relevance are hardly emerging in Bengali cinema these days, Madhabi said. It’s hard to connect the present-day movies with the motifs of social realism and idealism, she said.
International competition today
The International Competition section will begin with two films to be screened at the Tagore Theatre on Saturday. ‘Symphony for Ana’ directed by the Argentinean couple directors Ernesto Ardito and Virna Molina, talks about the life of a teenage girl in the backdrop of the worst times of Argentina. The second film in this category is the post-dystopian drama movie ‘Grain’ directed by Turkish filmmaker Semih Kaplanagolu.
The international competition section this year is packed with films that stay close to the chosen themes of the festival. A special attraction at this section, ‘Grain’ narrates an elegant story that frames the distant future of mankind. The film is, in fact, an elegy that has been inspired from the Sufi branch of Quran. A tribute to the great filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, ‘Grain’ enters the philosophical zone and possesses a tone of deep existentialism.