The 17th edition of IFFK will feature a total of 192 films in 15 different sections. Fourteen films from Asian, African and Latin American countries will compete for the coveted ‘Suvarna Chakoram’ (Golden Crow Pheasant) and only films released in the last ten months are included in ‘Competition’ and ‘World Cinema’ sections. The Indian films in Competition are ‘Filimistaan’ by Nitin Kakkar, ‘ID’ by Kamal, TV Chandran’s ‘Inheritors of the Earth’ and ‘Shutter’ by Joy Mathew.
‘ Australian Indigenous Films’, ‘Top Angle Cinema’, ‘Theatre Films’, ‘Hitchcock Silent Films’ and ‘Films on Adolescence’ are the newly-added categories.
In the World Cinema section, 78 films of popular directors will be screened. The major attractions in this section are films by Volker Swan Draught, Kenlock, Bernardo Bertolucci, Aki Kaurismaki, Abbas Kiarostami, Apichatpong, Raoul Ruiz, Walter Salles, Fatih Akin, Olivier Assayas, Makhmalbaf, Lars Von Trier, Nadeem Labaik and Taviani Brothers. The controversial film ‘Midnight’s Children’ by Deepa Mehta and two films by celebrated director Kim Ki Duk are also included in this category.
The films that won acclaim in the other festivals but could not find a place in the Competition section will be shown under the title Top Angle Indian Cinema.
Eight films which are either directed by Australian indigenous directors or based on the life of Australian indigenous people are compiled and presented under the Australian Indigenous Films category.
Vietnam will be the Country in Focus in this edition. This category will be having four Vietnam films, which will give a clear picture about the origin, growth and modernisation of the Vietnam film industry. The five French films on adolescence addressing the issues and problems faced by teens are a special category in this fest.
Many plays of well-known writers have been made into films. Some of these films are included in the Theatre Films category. The Retrospective category includes films by Akira Kurosawa, Paul Cox, S Pierre Yameogo, Alain Resnais, Helena Ignez, Alfred Hitchcock and Sharada.
In connection with the birth centenary of the legendary actor Sathyan, IFFK will feature seven of his most memorable films. In the Jury Section, five films of Paul Cox are included.
Indian Cinema Now category will have a total of seven films, while in the category Malayalam Cinema Today there will be seven films which have been well-received by the audience and gained critical acclamation. There will be films of Thilakan, Appachan, T Damodaran, Jose Prakash, Padmakumar, Ashok Mehta and Kris Marker in the homage section.