THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: IFFK opened up the world to Santhan. The poet who has attended all 24 film festivals without fail feels that the movies in IFFK exposed Kerala to movies from across the world, thus giving an insight into their lives, culture and beliefs.
“The first ever International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) which was held in Kozhikode was a memorable experience. We meet film makers and get to interact with them and it contributes to our growth as a person. We see civil conflicts everywhere. We see brave people who make brave movies even risking their expulsion from their home land. That is the sort of people you want to meet and learn from. They don’t compromise on anything and their movies are art in itself,” he said.
Santhan keeps the merchandise from every festival. While he shares happy memories about the film festivals, there are some memories that linger as a pain.
“In the fourth festival, the renowned Italian director Mario Monicelli, came to the festival. He created an impact with his cheery attitude and made us all laugh a lot. The man stayed with us in our hearts.
“His death in 2010, when he jumped from a hospital building after being diagnosed with prostate cancer- left us sad. A sorrowful end for a filmmaker like him. This sort of bonds are what IFFK gifted me,” said Santhan.Santhan is all praise for the movie selection this year.