KOCHI: Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Churuli was screened to wide applause at the IFFK on Thursday. Tickets were sold out soon after bookings opened. Later, Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novelist S Hareesh, who wrote the screenplay for the film, said that script is not the strongest element of a film.“A complete dependence on the script is not necessary all the time.
Every script is written for the director. It is not personally associated with the scriptwriter,” Hareesh said. Though Churuli and Jallikattu are adaptations of short stories, the two mediums do not really maintain a deep connection.“What matters is how the director perceives the story and how he visualises the movie,” he added. He said people are keen to watch movies no matter what and this makes the festival unique.
‘Any recognition for Meesha is close to heart’
On his novel Meesha winning the Sahitya Akademi award, Hareesh said any recognition in the name of the novel is close to his heart. “Meesha is a widely misunderstood book. Kerala Sahitya Akademi is an institution that works with people’s tax money and recognition from such a place is invaluable. To be accepted by the general public is a very important and special thing,” he said.
24 films including five Malayalam movies to be screened
Kochi: A total of 24 movies will be screened at different venues of IFFK on Friday. This includes five Malayalam movies—Attention Please, Vaanku, C U Soon, the internationally acclaimed Hasyam and Biriyani. International movies which received good response from viewers will also be screened. While Yellow Cat, The Man Who Sold His Skin and Summer of 85 feature in the World Cinema category, movies in the International Competition category include There is No Evil, Chronicle of Space, Lonely Rock (Piedra Sola), and Desterro.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless will also be screened on Friday. Agraharathil Kazhuthai directed by the late John Abraham will be shown as a tribute to cinematographer Ramachandra Babu, in the Homage category.
Barah x Barah completed in 179 shots earns praise
Kochi: Barah x Barah, directed by Gaurav Madan, was applauded by the audience at the ongoing IFFK here in Kochi. This film narrates the tale of a photographer who clicks the last photographs of the dead at Varanasi’s Manikarnika Ghat. Shot on a film camera, the colours, moods and the landscape of Varanasi have been brought to life in the film. Varanasi, the place itself, is said to have posed a big challenge in filming this movie.
Another major challenge was to discipline oneself along with disciplining the crew members as well. The film has been completed in 179 shots. Speaking at a meet the press after the screening, Gaurav Madan said he was in full control while shooting the interiors, but filming the exterior shots proved challenging. He had to spend a little more on making this film than one would spend making digital films.
