THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cultural Affairs Minister V N Vasavan assured that steps would be taken to address issues related to seat reservation at the next International Film Festival of Kerala. He was speaking after inaugurating the closing ceremony of IFFK, at Nisagandhi on Friday. Vasavan said the present edition of IFFK was most impressive in terms of audience participation and screening of value-based films.
Veteran Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr received the Lifetime Achievement Award. “I am moved and deeply touched by the crowd assembled before me. We hail from a different continent and have millions of differences including language and culture. But I found that we have a common language which is motion pictures. We have to protect our movies, we have to protect the young generation,” said the 67-year-old after receiving the award.
The ceremony had prominent writer M Mukundan as the chief guest. “The film festival should be used as a means to build a wall of defence against those who obstruct the freedom of expression,” he said. Academy chairman Ranjith said the festival was a success in terms of post-pandemic film fete. “After two years, the fest witnessed participation of 13,000 delegates including many foreign filmmakers and delegates which brought back the glory of post-pandemic IFFK”.
The event was presided over by Minister V Sivankutty. V K Prasanth, MLA, presented the logo of the Happiness International Film Festival to be organised by the Film Academy at Thaliparamba from December 19 to 21, to district panchayat president D Suresh Kumar. Jury chairman Fit Helmer, Spanish-Uruguayan director Alvaro Bruckner, Argentinian actor Nahuel Perez Biscayart, director Chaitanya Tamhane, FIPRCI jury chairperson Katharina Dochorn, among others were present.