A place to sit and relax between the short breaks between the movies, a spot for holding discussions and debates on movies. Delegates of the 17th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) need not have to wander about once they come out of the Anjali theatre in the city after watching movies.
Under a single roof, they can have a happy time. The theatre is innovatively coming up with a meeting place for the delegates. It is on a spacious 3,000-square feet area on the first floor of the SL theatre complex, where Anjali is located, that the arrangements are being made.
Air-coolers, sofas and a dais for film experts to interact with the delegates are being arranged. “It is on an experimental basis that we are making the arrangements this time. Other than providing a space for the delegates to relax, the space can be well utilised for movie-related discussions as part of the festival, rather than conducting them inside the theatre,” says Joy M Pillai, director of the theatre. The spruced up area will be inaugurated on Saturday.
Along with that, there are also plans to set up a temporary cafeteria. The theatre, one of the biggest in the city, is hosting the IFFK for the first time. Anjali theatre has a seating capacity of 1,300, of which 400 are in the balcony. It screens movies on a 58-feet wide screen and has a 2K projection facility with a 4K server.
Until the last edition of the IFFK, for years, the famous steps of the now Kairali-Sree-Nila theatre complex were a favourite spot for delegates to hang out. The steps were fondly remembered in the name of the late poet A Ayyappan, who was a constant presence there during the IFFKs. As part of renovation, the steps have now been demolished for creating a parking lot.