THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 24th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is just shy of a month. Film enthusiasts can be assured that this year’s IFFK will be easy on the pocket. Although a scaled-down version of the film festival is being planned this time to cut down on extra expenses on the account of floods, there will be no compromise on the quality of the movies, says Mahesh Panchu, secretary, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. “A 30 per cent cut on the fund is being talked about. As such, the festival will be a toned-down version,” says Panchu. The issuance of the delegate pass is also set to begin by November 10.
Over 150 movies will be screened. Apart from including the regular packages, a new segment ‘Kaleidoscope’, is being introduced. This will screen Indian movies which were showcased at film festivals held outside India. Fifty films figure in the World Cinema category. As many as 14 movies will compete in the competition category.
Maintaining that the rate of the delegate fees would be brought down, Panchu said all the decisions would be taken at the organising committee meet of the film festival to be held on Wednesday. The delegate fee was fixed at Rs 2,000 last year as the Academy was short of funds for the conduct of the festival in the backdrop of the floods. “At least a 50 per cent cut can be expected in the delegate fee. The delegate fee is the government’s decision,” says Panchu. The theme of the festival has not been fixed until now. “The international jury has also not been fixed,” says Panchu.
“Last time we avoided a few packages as part of cost-cutting measures. This time, all the routine packages are included, plus the new one, Kaleidoscope,” says Panchu. Ten Latin American movies have been selected for the competition category. Nine films are included in the Other Language category of which two are in the Competition category. “This time we have given space for debutante directors and five such movies have been selected in the Malayalam cinema category for screening,” says Panchu.
Controversy
On the recent controversy regarding the selection of films in the Malayalam Cinema category and independent film makers going to court over the matter, Panchu has said the selection was purely a prerogative of the jury. “The selection committee chaired by film maker T V Chandran chose the 14 films. There is no norm that commercial films cannot be part of the festival. Out of the 92 movies, the jury liked the movies and chose them. Eight movies that became box office hits were chosen. It was entirely up to the jury,” says Panchu