15th International Documentary Short Film Festival of Kerala; a Treat for cinephiles
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 15th International Documentary Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) kicked off in grand style on Friday with a special screening of Seven Winters in Tehran, a Persian documentary directed by Steffi Niederzoll, and 31 other films.
The 97-minute-long film revolves around the life of 19-year-old Reyhaneh Jabbari and brings to the fore the resilience of the women’s community in Iran. It was a perfect start to the six-day fest, which was inaugurated by Minister for Culture and Cinema Saji Cherian in the presence of Transport Minister Antony Raju and JC Daniel winner and director T V Chandran.
A total of 14 films in the long documentary category and 22 in the short documentary category will be the mainstays of the festival’s 15th edition. In addition, there will be 27 films in the short fiction category and eight films from various campuses in Kerala. These films tackle a diverse range of subjects, including those relating to refugees, farmers, human rights, the environment, and other crucial issues. They have been selected from diverse corners of the world and are in various languages.
This year’s signature film was directed by Akhil Ravi Padmini, a Thiruvananthapuram native and a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). The 36-second film encapsulates the individual efforts that go into bringing a film to its audience.
The festival was welcomed by delegates of all ages. Praba Mahajan, a journalist and wife of nationally acclaimed cinematographer K K Mahajan, too, was among the crowd. “This is my first time at IDSFFK. I will be here every day to enjoy the festival. I’m very much looking forward to watching the documentary based on M T Vasudevan Nair,” says the 73-year-old film enthusiast, who urges all to not miss Maryam by Ahmad Maboodi.
There are also new packages for cinephiles, including Lines and Strokes, featuring four cartoon films; Soundscapes, the Sundance animation package; a package of films mentored by German visionary filmmaker Win Wenders, etc.
Some of the highlights include Don’t Spare Me, Shankar, directed by Gurcharan Singh, which traces the seven decades of Indian democracy and the unravelling of the political life of Jawaharlal Nehru through the caricatures drawn by Shankar, the father of political cartooning in India. The Malayalam documentary cartoon Karupp Veluppine Valayumbol, directed by Syamaprasad, portrays the life of Indian political cartoonist E P Unni.
Award categories
Films will be awarded in seven competition categories to encourage outstanding works by filmmakers, including newcomers. The categories are long documentary, short documentary, short fiction, campus film, along with long documentary combination. The awards include a cash prize and certificates.