THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On the second day of the 22nd edition of IFFK, venues witnessed a flurry of activities with movie buffs running around from one screen to another to watch their favourites. The films which received appreciation from the critics and film lovers alike were ‘Symphony for Ana’, an Argentinian film directed by Ernesto Ardito which comes under International Competition category, and Virna Molina, ‘Ice Mother’, a Czech drama film directed by Bohdan Slama.
Though the first show at Tagore Theatre was slated to begin at 9 am, a motley crowd had gathered at the venue since 7.30 am and by 8.30 am, a serpentine queue had formed on the premises. Movie lovers were spotted carrying the popular ‘film festival bags’ and festival booklet, engaged in serious discussions, unmindful of the mercury levels slowly rising. The other venues, Kairali, Sree, and Nila and Kalabhavan at Vazhuthacaud also witnessed good turnout on day two.
A large number of students from various campuses were also seen at the venue in large numbers. Some gathered in circles for casual chit-chat, not bothering to find a place in the queue.
‘Reservation facility’ turned out to be a flop'
Tension prevailed at Tagore Theatre, the main venue, after some delegates staged protests outside the theatre alleging that the volunteers had allowed some persons to enter the cinema hall even though they did not reserve the seats. The incident took place around 11.30 am when the film ‘Symphony for Ana’ was about to screen at Tagore Theatre. According to delegates, some of the volunteers had made some persons to enter into the theatre even after they did not reserve the seats.
“This is in injustice. The whole reservation system is flawed, it seems. Earlier, there were monitors to view the number of seats remaining vacant and it also showed the reserved seats very clearly. But in this edition, volunteers are entering the theatre and counting the seats manually. It’s totally flawed”, said Anoop Vasudevan, a delegate who came all the way from Kozhikode.
Sources said many of the reservation systems in front of various screens are not working properly and this had led to a total confusion among the volunteers and delegates.
Last year, a company named ‘Azinova’ was entrusted to look after the digital part of reservation system in all the screens in the city. However, the government has entrusted the task of looking after the reservation system to C-DIT this time. This move itself indicates a favouritism on the part of the government.
“ In last years, reservation was functioning perfectly. But this time, there is a lack of professionalism. On many occasions, the reservation system went offline and delegates had to wait for a long time in the queue,” sources said.
‘Pomegranate Orchard’ and ‘Wajib’ will be screened at Dhanya theatre. Azerbaijan filmmaker Ilgar Najaf’s ‘Pomegranate Orchard’ is a drama played out against a picturesque backdrop of pomegranate plantations.
Eight films to compete in international category
T’Puram: The third day of the IFFK will showcase eight flicks in the ‘International Competition’ category. The films of the day vying for the top honours are: ‘Grain’, ‘Newton’, ‘White Bridge’, ‘Candelaria’, ‘Garden of Desire’, ‘Dark Wind’, ‘Pomegranate Orchard’ and ‘Wajib’.‘Grain’, directed by Semih Kaplanoglu, and ‘Newton’, by Amit V Masurkar, will be screened at the Kairali theatre. ‘Grain’, a sci-fi drama, inspired from a chapter from Quran, is a post-apocalyptic story filmed on three continents. Amit V Masurkar’s film ‘Newton’ portrays the story of a general election conducted in the Naxalite jungles of central India. Newton, a government clerk played by Rajkummar Rao, is determined to do his duty amidst trying circumstances. Iranian film ‘White Bridge’, directed by Ali Ghavitan, portrays the story of Bahareh, who is suspended from school after being disabled in an accident. The laws prevent her from returning to regular school and thereby forcing her to go to special school. Kairali theatre will host the screening of these films.Tagore theatre will screen Jhonny Hendrix’s ‘Candelaria’, SanjuSurendran’s ‘Aedan’ and Nila Madhab Panda’s ‘Dark Wind’. ‘Candelaria’ takes us to a world of facts and fantasy in parallel with the subtle and realistic movements of camera lens. ‘Aedan’, (Garden of Desire) is a kaleidoscope of two lonely characters with visions of love and death.‘Kadvi Hawa’ or ‘Dark Wind’ by Nila Madhab Panda, is about the effects of climate change in a Rajasthan village. The story is plotted through the life of a blind farmer who in an unfortunate situation strikes a deal with the debt recovery agent.
‘Pomegranate Orchard’ and ‘Wajib will be screened at Dhanya theatre. Azerbaijan filmmaker Ilgar Najaf’s ‘Pomegranate Orchard’ is a drama played out against a picturesque backdrop of pomegranate plantations. The movie is an adaptation of Anton Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard.
An urban road movie set and shot among the Arab community of Israel, ‘Wajib’ affirms the long-standing bonds of family and community and dad-son relationship. This comedy-drama of flimsy family-community ties is directed by Annemarie Jacir.
Of the four Indian movies lined up for International Competition, three will be shown today. These films of multifarious themes from all regions, of varied geography and distances, are a much awaited lot and audiences are expected to queue up in large numbers for their screening.