IFFK rolls out the red carpet for young directors

The 23rd edition of the film festival has films by young delegates-turned-directors

December 07, 2018 05:00 pm | Updated 05:00 pm IST - ​Thiruvananthapuram

A still from Vipin Radhakrishnan’s ‘Ave Maria’

A still from Vipin Radhakrishnan’s ‘Ave Maria’

Zakariya Mohammed has been a delegate at the International Festival of Kerala (IFFK) since 2004. But for a couple of years in between when he was abroad, every year, akin to a pilgrimage, Zakariya travelled to Thiruvananthapuram to be part of the cinema carnival. Braving the sun and long queues, he joined the huge crowd to watch films and talk movies.

In 2018, the 31-year-old is the toast of Malayalam cinema as Sudani from Nigeria, his directorial début, competes in the competition section of IFFK. “Every delegate dreams of the day his film gets selected for the festival. But to make it to the competition section is unbelievable,” says the hotshot director of the film that swept the box-office and also won the hearts of film critics. The filmmaker from Malappuram is still rubbing his eyes in disbelief. He’s not the only one to do so because this edition showcases some young debutant directors, many of whom honed their reel dreams on the finest of world cinema that IFFK screened every year.

A still from ‘Sudani from Nigeria’

A still from ‘Sudani from Nigeria’

Starry-eyed youngsters from across Kerala and neighbouring States lend the festival energy, colour, rhythm, and a sense of euphoria. As IFFK opened yesterday amidst the usual excitement and sense of anticipation, seated among the VIPs and guests were a handful of young delegates-turned-directors, all set to screen their films.

In the limelight

In the Malayalam Cinema Today package, nine of the 12 films are by new directors, most of them in their late twenties or early thirties. “Can’t believe that I am a guest for this edition after being a delegate for so many. We will be able to meet filmmakers we look up to,” says Sudeep Elamon, co-director of feature film Sleeplessly Yours , which has found a place in the popular film festival.

A still from ‘Sleeplessly Yours’

A still from ‘Sleeplessly Yours’

Made on shoestring budgets, money borrowed or crowd-funded, their films stand out for their themes, treatment and style of narration. “I always thought cinema was meant for people with fat purses. However, that our film Oath, shot with newcomers, has been picked for IFFK proved me wrong. It goes to show that cinema is a democratic medium,” says PK Bijukuttan, a self-taught filmmaker from Kodungallur. This is Bijukuttan’s first time at the festival, and he admits that he has great expectations.

A still from ‘Oath’, directed by PK Bijukuttan

A still from ‘Oath’, directed by PK Bijukuttan

Conversations at the venue revolve around one thing — scripts. Filmmakers talk about how long they were working on that one script to be made into a film. They might have struggled for opportunities, but these men (yes, that is right, no women at all) believe in their story, and do not go in for gimmicks or look for big names to feature in their films. And these films would be screened along with those of film directors like Aashiq Abu and Jayaraj and award-winning film techinicians like B Ajithkumar.

Film director PK Bijukuttan

Film director PK Bijukuttan

For instance, Bilathikuzhal , Vinu AK’s first feature film, premières in Kerala after winning rave reviews in MAMI and IFFI. The director says he is looking forward to the film’s screening as “it is the first screening for a home audience. Who does not want his film to be seen at home?” asks the 31-year-old from Kasaragod who has been a delegate at the IFFK for the last six years.

A still from ‘Bilathikuzhal’

A still from ‘Bilathikuzhal’

Explaining that Kasaragod is a fount of stories, he adds: “The film is about my neighbourhood. Perhaps, that is its strength. It is ethnographic, but tells a universal tale.”

Vinu AK

Vinu AK

Braving odds

Another director whose first feature film is set to première is scenarist Vipin Radhakrishnan. His Ave Maria , which was two years in the making, finally sees the light of the day this year. “Budget was always a struggle and even the location delayed it quite a bit. The entire story takes place in Velankanni and the cyclone forced us to postpone the shooting. But the selection to IFFK makes up for all the hard work,” says an ecstatic Vipin.

Vipin Radhakrishnan

Vipin Radhakrishnan

Many names making waves in Malayalam cinema are those that have been exposed to world cinema at the IFFK, according to film critic and cineaste C S Venkiteswaran. “This is a trend over the last 10 years or so. In the seventies and eighties, path-breaking films were made by filmmakers trained in film institutes orthose who had been assistants to veteran film directors for years,” he adds.

The infusion of fresh blood has been made possible by a five-member committee comprising filmmakers and members of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy who decided that “at least six of the films in the Malayalam Cinema Today package should have debutant directors,” says auteur D Bijukumar. The committee was set up to re-examine rules and regulations.

In an emotional post on Facebook, Biju, who has won three National awards, reminisces, “I remember the struggle I had to go through as a rank newcomer with no kind of film connections to speak of. I hope that the new set of rules will spare present-day newcomers of that turmoil.”

The crow pheasant, the logo of the Chalachitra Academy, flies high, and so does another generation of young filmmakers.

Fact file

* In fact, Sudani from Nigeria , one of the two Malayalam films selected for the international competition along with Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Ea.Ma.Yau ., has also been directed by a newcomer, Zakariya Mohammed.

Zakariya Mohammed

Zakariya Mohammed

The films in the Malayalam Cinema Today package are:

Ave Maria : Vipin Radhakrishnan

Bilathikuzhal : Vinu AK

Udalazham : Unnikrishnan Avala

Bhayanakam : Jayaraj

Eeda : B Ajithkumar

Humans of Someone: Sumesh Lal

Kottayam : Binu Bhaskar

Sleeplessly Yours : Goutham Soorya and Sudeep Elamon

Mayaanadhi : Aashiq Abu

Parava : Soubin Shahir

Oath: PK Bijukuttan

Prathibhasam : Vipin Vijay

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