THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the 19th edition of IFFK wound up on Friday, a new brigade of independent filmmakers has come to vicinity. While two walked away with the ‘Audience’, ‘FIPRESCI’ and ‘NETPAC’ awards, a total of four films received certificates of merit in the ‘Film Market.’ ‘Unto the Dusk’ was adjudged the best film in audience poll and ‘Oraalpokkam’ bagged FIPRESCI and NETPAC awards for the best Malayalam film. ‘Zahir’, ‘Unto the Dusk’, ‘Kanyaka Talkies’ and ‘CR No 89’ are the films picked by the festival mart to be promoted in global platforms.
“I think a film like ‘Oralpokkam’ getting a recognition at IFFK will motivate a lot more aspirants. A film made on shoestring budget getting selected among big global entries and bagging the award means a lot to us. Acceptance by an international jury reinforces my faith in what I think is real cinema,” said director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan.
He added that the award is a sign of approval from an international jury who understands all the nuances that define cinema. “Then, I am obliged to all who supported my film in various manners. There are people who invested in my dream showing their unconditional faith in good cinema. There are cast and crew members who worked without any monetary benefit. Getting an award like this is a great encouragement for filmmakers like us,” he said.
‘Unto the Dusk’ bagging the ‘Audience’ award and getting selected in the Marketing section shows the success of independent cinema, said director Sajin Babu. “I am so happy that it was selected by the delegates, an audience familiar with international cinema. Mine is a film sans any known names in its cast and crew list. It was made without any backing from the industry or government and raising the fund for the film was one big challenge. If a film coming from such background gets a recognition at IFFK, it will be a great inspiration for many others,” he added.
K R Manoj, director of ‘Kanyaka Talkies’, said the functioning of film market was really pathetic during the last few festivals. “But this year they revamped the section based on the recommendations by the Adoor committee. Though there were some initial glitches, we see getting selected as the first step and are happy about it. This year the films were screened in front of a jury used to watching global films. All these years we have been importing world films without taking any step to export our films to international venues. We are competing with films produced by corporates and we are looking forward to a festival market that is really professional,” he added.
“It’s for the first time an international jury is evaluating and handpicking Malayalam films exclusively for the Marketing section. If it turns out to be a good platform for our films to reach an international audience, it will be a real feat. If the mart can successfully promote Malayalam films and help them enter prominent festivals, it will be a great relief to us,’’ said Sidhartha Siva, the director of ‘Zahir’.