THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the 24th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) slated to begin on December 6, the delegate passes are fast selling out. Of the 10,500 passes issued by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (KSCA), only 500 remain to be claimed until Saturday. Around 5,000 passes initially designated for the general public sold out in two days another 2,000 passes were issued from November 22. Apart from these, close to 550 passes are remaining fot the film fraternity category and can be availed till December 6.
Through the sale of 10,500 delegate passes, the academy expects to raise `1 crore in total. New inclusions this year are the introduction of a package called Kaleidoscope which features Indian movies that were screened at festivals outside India; a film market which lets independent filmmakers reach out to global distributors and buyers; an Indian experimental cinema package and post-Partition Yugoslavian cinema package.
“The film market is one of a kind which will offer a platform for independent filmmakers and help them showcase movies to international circuits,” said Mahesh Panchu, secretary, KSCA.Like last year, the film fest will be sans any festivities this edition as well, with cultural programmes being scrapped on account of the fund crunch and celebrations being put on hold in the backdrop of the flood.
Encyclopedia and other projects
The inaugural ceremony of the festival will also witness the release of the first volume of the encyclopedia on Malayalam cinema that the academy was working on. “The encyclopedia is one that encompasses every detail about Malayalam movies released from 1928. The first volume will chronicle movies till 1978 while the next volumes will detail movies till present,” added Mahesh, citing the mammoth effort under way at the academy.
As the academy’s general council moves into the second term, the encyclopedia being just one among the projects. The academy is also working on an archiving project, which would involve preserving all Malayalam movies ever released which can be accessed by individuals. A book on noted film personalities also figures among the projects taken up by the academy.