As the 10th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) came to an end here on Tuesday, filmmakers and film lovers alike expressed their opposition to attempts by the ruling class to suppress voices of dissent.
The closing ceremony, held at Kairali theatre, took off with an improptu demonstration by a group of delegates who expressed their solidarity with the makers of the three documentary films that were denied Censor Board exemption by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The best way to respond to the challenge posed by the Central government’s repression of cultural resistance was to keep fearlessly making better films, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said in his inaugural address at the event.
The State government, on its part, would fully support such endeavours, through ventures such as the IDSFFK and endowments to artistes and film makers, Dr. Isaac said, adding that financial constraints were not to be a concern at all in this regard.
Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal said the academy would always stand with filmmakers against cultural fascism.
Awards presented
Two films shared the top prize in the long documentary category of the festival: Nostalgia for the Future , directed by Avijit Mukul Kishore and Rohan Shivkumar, and Soz: A Ballad of Maladies , directed by Tushar Madhav and Sarvnik Kaur. Nostalgia for the Future is a film on Indian modernity, the citizen, and the architecture of the home, and Soz: A ballad of Maladies is a portrayal of the metamorphoses of Kashmir’s traditional art practices into its contemporary arts of resistance.
The Books We Made , directed by Anupama Chandra and Uma Tanuku, and Of Love and Artistry , directed by Suruchi Sharmais, received special mention by the jury in the long documentary section.
The award for the best short fiction went to Days of Autumn , an Assamese film directed by Mukul Haloi, based on the story of an elderly Assamese couple whose pleasant encounter with a young stranger leads them to revisit the memories of their youth.
Grandfather directed by Amar Kaushik received a special jury mention in the short fiction category.
Other prizes included the award for the best animation film, presented to The Fish Curry directed by Abhishek Verma; the best campus film, for Rooms written and directed by Sangeet Unni; and the Navroze Contractor award for the best cinematographer, for Ranjan Palit for his work in In Praise of that Angel Face .
No awards were presented in the short documentary section.
The jury for the fiction category included director and producer Ritu Sarin, director Lijo Jose Pellissery, and Carla Losch, programmer and festival coordinator at VIS Vienna Shorts.
Filmmakers Andrew Vial and Vipin Vijay and documentary maker Rajula Shah were part of the jury for non-fiction.
The awards were presented to the recipients by Dr. Isaac. Mayor V.K. Prasanth, district panchayat president V.K. Madhu, filmmaker K.P. Kumaran, festival artistic director Bina Paul, and executive director Mahesh Panju were present on the occasion.
