THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The spotlight will be on a group of women directors at the 22nd International Film Festival of Kerala as the film carnival gears up to express solidarity with people who have been living their lives deprived of identity and space.
The festival will feature the films of as many as 35 women directors under various categories focusing on the subject of ‘Being Woman’. The films to be screened are those that have encapsulated the essence of being a woman, and would narrate tales of varied emotions and intense experiences.
Among the 14 films that will be screened as part of the ‘International Competition’ section, four are made by women. ‘I Still Hide to Smoke’ directed by Rayhana, reflects the Algerian filmmaker’s vivid repertoire; while ‘Malila-The Farewell Flower’ based on Buddhism and the traditional bai-shee art of Thailand, is directed by Anucha Boonyawatana.
‘Symphony for Ana’, directed by Virna Molina and Ernesto Ardito, discusses the wrath of military dictatorship. ‘Wajib’, directed by Annemarie Jacir, is an urban road movie set and shot among the Arab community of Israel. ‘After The War’ is scripted and directed by Annarita Zambrano. The film, which was screened as part of the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, revolves around the complicated socio-political atmosphere in Italy.
Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze have collaboratively directed ‘Birds are Singing in Kigali’. Teresa Villaverde’s ‘Colo’ is a family drama about relationships in the modern society. Marco Dutra’s and Juliana Rojas’ ‘Good Manners’, is a take on the mysterious lives of two women. Claire Denis, the legendary filmmaker from France marked her comeback with ‘Let the Sunshine In’ after a gap of four years from cinema.
‘I am Not a Witch’ which was previewed at the Cannes Film Festival, is directed by Rungano Nyoni.
To begin on a quieter note
The festival will begin on Friday, albeit on a quieter note in the wake of the death and destruction caused by cyclone Ockhi. The inaugural function and cultural programmes at Tagore Theatre will be cancelled, said Culture Minister A K Balan. However, there won’t be a change in the movie schedule. The film festival will start with the screening of Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri’s ‘Insult’ at Nishagandhi Theatre.
The Minister said the state wanted to make a clear political stance through IFFK. “We give importance to films from third world countries such as Afro-Asian-Latin America. Ours is different from other big international film festivals which sideline political films and focus on entertainment and commercial values of it,” Balan said. The Minister said that the screening of Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s movie ‘S Durga’ will not be possible in the wake of the censor board cancelling its certificate. The IFFK will showcase 190 films from 65 countries in 465 screenings. There are close to 8,800 seats for 11,000 delegates. The film festival concludes on December 15.