THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 28th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), the annual movie extravaganza hosted by the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy (KSCA), will kick off in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday with a colourful opening ceremony at Nisagandhi auditorium at 6 pm.
National Film Award-winning actor Nana Patekar will be the chief guest of the event. Mayor Arya Rajendran will present the ‘Spirit of Cinema’ award to Kenyan Director Wanuri Kahiu at the function. The Sudanese film ‘Goodbye Julia’ by director Mohamed Kordofani will be the opening movie of the festival. A concert by Carnatic musician Sukanya Ramgopal will be held at 5 pm ahead of the opening ceremony.
Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth, district panchayat president D Suresh Kumar, Portuguese director Rita Azevedo Gomes, Latin American package curator Fernando Brunner, sound designer Resul Pookutty, KSCA chairman Ranjith, director Shyama Prasad, Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) chairman Shaji N Karun, cultural workers welfare board chairman Madhupal, and secretary of department of culture Mini Antony will attend the inaugural event.
The festival will feature 175 movies from 81 countries screened at 15 venues in the capital. Around 12,000 delegates are expected to attend the event. The competition category will have 14 movies, Malayalam Cinema Today category will feature 12 and Indian Cinema Now category will feature seven movies. The festival also features 26 Oscar entries for Best Foreign Language Film.