KOCHI: As the Kochi edition of the 25th International Film Festival of Kerala begins tomorrow, arrangements have been completed to ensure the safe and smooth conduct of the event. The opening ceremony will be held at Saritha Theatre
With the Kochi edition of the 25th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) commences on Wednesday, film buffs in the region have another reason to cheer. Organised by the State Chalachitra Academy with adherence to Covid protocol, the event will take place from February 17 to 21. IFFK’s Kochi edition is primarily aimed at film enthusiasts from Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, and Thrissur districts and will be screened at six theatres Saritha, Savitha, Sangeetha, Sreedhar, Kavitha, and Padma cinemas screen-1 namely.
According to officials, arrangements have been made for the safe conduct of the event. “We are organising the event by strictly following Covid protocol. More than 2,000 delegates attended the event in Thiruvananthapuram after undergoing antigen tests. Passes were given only for those who tested negative. Face masks were distributed as part of the festival kit. Besides, our volunteers ensured social distancing in theatres. As we have successfully executed the plan in Thiruvananthapuram, we are confident to replicate the same in Kochi,” said H Shaji, deputy director (festivals), Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
As a Covid-19 negative test result within 48 hours of the film screening is mandatory to obtain a delegate pass, the academy has ensured free antigen testing at Saritha cinema complex. “Though we were apprehensive about people’s attitude towards getting tested to watch a film, every delegate abided by the regulations in Thiruvananthapuram. Free testing has started on Monday and will be available till Wednesday. Those registering after February 17 will have to get tested by themselves,” he said.
So far, more than 2,000 delegates have registered for the Kochi edition. “Though we have closed the registrations for delegates and students, there are discussions to allow a few more students to participate in the festival, considering the demands from the community. Altogether, 2,500 passes are being issued for the edition,” he said.
Though there won’t be public events as part of the festival, organisers will conduct open forums for the participating delegates. “We will organise open forums for discussion with experts. There will also be recorded programmes like talks with directors Mira Nair and Jean-Luc Godard. However, the list of experts attending these sessions are yet to be confirmed,” he added.
Reservation for shows
The academy has made it mandatory to reserve seats for every show on the previous day of screening in an attempt to trace participants in case of Covid spread. “Reservation was introduced to avoid the mad rush at theatres. Entry will be based on reservation, which will be open 24 hours before screening. Delegates can reserve their seats free of cost at registration.iffk.in. or through IFFK app,” he said.
80 films Kochi edition will witness the screening of 80 films -- in International Competition, Malayalam Cinema Today, Indian Cinema, World Cinema, Kaleidoscope, Homage, Retrospective and Jury Films which were screened in Thiruvananthapuram. Under World Cinema category, a total of 22 films including Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Wife of a Spy, Ahmad Bahrami’s The Wasteland and Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin will be screened.