THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) continued to evoke overwhelming response on the second day on Saturday with movie buffs thronging all 15 venues to watch their favourite films and engaging in a flurry of activities.
The day began on a controversial note as Chalachitra Academy chairman and director Ranjith had to clarify his stance to the media on inviting actor Bhavana to the inaugural function of the festival. He also faced criticism on social media for meeting actor Dileep while the latter was in jail in connection with the actor abduction case.
However, Ranjith stood firm that he himself invited Bhavana to the function and said he had informed about it to the chief minister. Ranjith told reporters that visiting Dileep in jail was coincidental. “I did not go to the jail to see Dileep. Actor Suresh Krishna was with me while I was travelling from Kozhikode to Kochi. When the car reached Ernakulam, Suresh wanted to meet Dileep. Though I was not keen on meeting him in jail, I had to enter inside the prison premises to avoid speaking to the media. When I entered the jail, I had a chat with the jail superintendent rather than speaking with Dileep. I talked to Dileep as well but that doesn’t mean that it was an intentional meeting,” he said.
“Similarly, I invited Bhavana after discussing with Bina Paul and other members. But we kept it a secret to avoid media attention. However, I am not concerned about the discussions going on in social media,” said Ranjith.
Good turnout
Though the first show at the main venue of Tagore Theatre was slated to begin at 9am, delegates started gathering at the venue from 7.30am. By 8.30am, a serpentine queue had formed on the theatre premises. Movie lovers were spotted carrying the popular ‘film festival bags’ and festival booklet and engaged in serious discussions, seemingly unmindful of the mercury levels rising slowly. The recently renovated venues -- Kairali, Sree, and Nila -- also witnessed a good turnout. A large number of students from various campuses also thronged the venues. Some gathered in circles for casual chit-chat, not bothering to find a place in the queue.
On Saturday, Tamil film ‘Pebbles’ (Koozhangal), directed by P S Vinod Raj and ‘Aavasavyuham’, a Malayalam movie directed by Krishand R K, won appreciation from both critics and film lovers. Both films were screened in the International Competition category.Another highlight of the second day was the restoration of G Aravindan’s 1979 film ‘Kummatty’. All the films were screened to a packed audience.
Directors decry censorship
A ‘Meet the Directors’ programme held on Saturday saw participant filmmakers coming down heavily on censorship. “Censorship is a curb on creativity in movies,” said Bengali director Amitabha Chatterjee.Director Vignesh P Sasidharan concurred, saying, “I feel there should be no restriction on filmmakers. Censorship of movies will impinge on the artistic freedom of filmmakers.”
Director Ranjith Sankar said the advent of OTT platforms boded well for films and they may be the best medium to release uncensored movies. Tamil director P S Vinod Raj, Faraz Ali and Krishnendu Kalesh were also part of the discussion which was moderated by Meera Saheb, writer and former director of IFFK.
Malayalam film ‘Nishidho’ to premiere today
Sixty-seven films will be screened at the fest -- including the premiere of ‘Nishidho’, a Malayalam film, in the competition category — on Sunday. Other films in the competition category include Emre Kais’s Turkish film ‘Anatolian Leopard’, Azerbaijan’s ‘Sukhra & Her Sons’; ‘I’m Not the River Jhelum’ (Bay Chase Ne Wet), a film about the life of a girl named Afifa living in Kashmir, and ‘Murina’ directed by Antoneta Kuzijonovich.
The highlight of the third day will be the screening of the Oscar-winning Iranian film ‘A Hero’.Forty of the films to be screened on Sunday come under the World Cinema category. They include ‘Wars’, a Canadian film about a 20-year-old woman employee Emma who is sexually abused by her manager.
Embroiled in Controversy
The day began on a controversial note as Chalachitra Academy chairman and director Ranjith had to clarify his stance to the media on inviting actor Bhavana to the inaugural function of the festival