CHENNAI: The Cyprus Film fest was inaugurated at the Kalaimamani G Umapathi Auditorium on Tuesday with the screening of the movie Joy and Sorrow of the Body. The film fest was organised by the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation in association with the Cyprus High Commission, New Delhi. The 130-minute-movie that is directed by Andreas Pantzis is of the drama genre and revolves around a man by the name, Evagoras, who is sentenced to five years in prison for a crime he committed in connivance with a Bulgarian friend named Milen. And the story shows the aftermath of his release from jail.
The other movies that were screened as part of the film fest included Committed and Block 12, both of which were screened on Wednesday. Committed is directed by Stelana Kliris and is a 90-minute long flick. It’s a romantic comedy about a man who takes to the road to escape the pressure of proposing to his girlfriend, only to come across a bride who has just run out on her wedding. It comes with a surprise ending and explores ideas about love, marriage and commitment. On the other hand, Block 12, that’s directed by Kyriakos Tofaridis, deals with a big economic crisis that leads the two sons of a family to bankruptcy.
Speaking about the films that were screened as part of the fest, E Thangaraj, festival director, Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF) and general secretary, Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF) said, “One of the films has already been shown as part of the International Film Festival, but I found it (Joy and Sorrow of the Body) really intriguing and decided to screen them. I specially arranged the DVDs for the same around two months ago from Delhi, and I find that the response is really good.”
The ICAF is also organising a Serbian film fest in the second week of September, which will be followed by a European film festival.