THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 15th edition of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) will kick-start with much fanfare on Friday. The six-day festival, organised by the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy, will feature 286 films from 44 countries. They will be screened at the Kairali-Sree-Nila theatre complex.
The Persian documentary Seven Winters in Tehran, directed by German filmmaker Steffi Niederzel, will be screened as the opening film of the fete.
This gripping film, which revolves around the intriguing life of a 19-year-old Iranian woman, Reyhaneh Jabari, who kills the man who attempted to rape her, has already won many international accolades.
The fete will also celebrate veteran writer M T Vasudevan Nair through a special screening, Celebrating the Maestro: MT, with two documentaries, A Momentous Life in Creativity and Kumaranelloorile Kulangal. The filmmaker in focus this year will be national award winner R V Ramani. Eleven of his works, including the award-winning film, Oh That’s Bhanu, will also be screened.
The festival will also see the premiere screening of 78 films, which have won awards at selected international festivals, including Oscar-nominated Shoneck Sen’s All That Breathes from India.
On the sidelines of the festival, deputy director (festival) H Shaji has a word on the film selection. “All films are worth watching, especially the tribute packages, as they provide great learning experiences to youngsters. This festival is a great opportunity for budding artists to display their exemplary work,” he said.
Aana Premi by Shamil Raj is a must-watch film to be screened at the festival. It is a Malayalam, thought-provoking animation film that displays our unhealthy obsession with elephants, all in the name of religion.
The film brings to the fore the irony of those who call themselves an elephant lover. The film Shades/Chayangal by Midhun Madhusudhanan is a campus film that explores questions of self-worth, colour, and self-identity.
Men In Blue by Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda, in the international films category, is based on testimony from a 2007 case and highlights the issue of modern slavery all around the world. It showcases how Indian workers are lured to the USA on the false pretext of a job and the cruel and inexcusable conditions under which they are kept.
The other international films include submissions from Africa, Russia, Italy, and many more.
Events
Minister for Cinema and Culture Saji Cheriyan will inaugurate the festival, and veteran director and JC Daniel award winner, T V Chandran, will be the chief guest of the opening ceremony, which will be held at Kairali Theatre Complex at 6pm on Friday.
T V Chandran will launch the Festival Catalogue by presenting it to fiction category jury chairman Kanu Behl.
A conversation between Chalachithra Academy secretary C Ajoy and this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner, writer, and women’s rights activist Deepa Dhanraj will be held on Saturday.
On Sunday, a session will include Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Shaunak Sen, Cannes Prize-winning filmmaker Shirley Abraham, director of Against the Tide and Sarvnik Kaur, moderated by filmmaker Don Palathara.
The deputy director at IDSFFK, H Shaji, will lead a conversation session with film director and screenwriter Kanu Behl and assisting director Dibaker Banerjee.
The final session will be hosted by the assistant English professor at University College Thiruvananthapuram Kaikasi V S in conversation with Filmfare Best Actress Award winner Tillotama Shome.