This year's edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala presents a selection of films reflective of the innovative metamorphosis of cinema across the World during the past year, in the World Cinema category.
Love, separation, ethnic conflicts, clash of values, widening generation gap and the changing socio-political scenarios and strength of united people are the theme of 79 films from 39 nations in the category. Out of them, 26 are from France and 12 from Germany, an official release said.
Movies of maestros such as Ken Loach, Kim Ki Duk, Yousry Nasrallah, Bohdan Slama, Aki Kaurismaki, Abbas Kiarostami, Deepa Mehta, Raoul Ruiz, Lars Von Trier, Walter Salles, Fatih Akin, Roberta Marquez, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Paolo Sorrentino, Annemarie Jacir, Nadine Labaki, Marco Bellocchio and Bernardo Bertolucci enrich the category.
Midnight’s Children
Deepa Mehta’s Canadian film Midnight’s Children , based on the book of same title by Salman Rushdie, will have its Indian premier in this section. The only film from India in this category is Celluloid Man , directed by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, it said.
Midnight’s Children , the most debated film of recent times, is on the riveting personal story of a boy born at the exact time of India’s Independence. The film was shot under the title Winds of Change to divert any kind of threats to the cast and crew.
Celluloid Man is a 2012 documentary film that explores the life and work of the Indian archivist P.K. Nair, the founder of the National Film Archive of India. The film was cinematographed by 11 different cinematographers, had its premiere at the II Cinema Ritrovato in Italy, and had its Indian premiere at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival.
Aki Kaurimaki’s Le Havre comes to the festival with accolades from different parts of the world. The story is that of an African boy who arrives at the port city of Le Havre in a cargo ship. An aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home. Later the relation between them deepens and they develop a deep bonding.
Abbas Kiarostami's film Like Someone in Love is on a day's relationship between a young woman and an old man in Tokyo. This film is considered one of the best romantic films from Japan.
The real story of the Egyptian revolution is the plot of 18 days . It was directed by nine different directors. This masterpiece of reality turned into a film captured much attention at film festivals around the world including the Cannes.
Amour , the latest film by Yousry Nasrallah, is the story of an aged retired couple who were music teachers. The film has strong strokes of their love that withstands the test of time. The musical-drama- romance saga won the hearts of movie lovers all over the world and received award for the best film at the Cannes.
Leos Carax’s Holy Motors is a science fiction movie that tells the story of Oscar who faces many conflicting situations in life. Carax won the Award of Youth in the Cannes film Festival in 2012 for the film which went on to bag awards at the Chicago International Film Festival also.
The adventure drama, On the Road , by Walter Salles talks about the story of a young writer whose life changes with the arrival of a westerner and his girlfriend. This must be the place, directed by Paolo Sorrentino, is on the life of Cheyenne (Sean Penn) who is a former rock star landing in the United States to find the person who had humiliated his father years back. Master Filmmaker Kim Ki Duk’s Pieta is about a loan shark who is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
Melancholia is the latest film from the director of controversial movie Antichrist, Lars Von Trier. The story takes place on planet Melancholia which is anticipated to collide with the Earth the same day protagonist Justine is having her wedding night. The movie won 31 awards at the Cannes film Festival.
The movie 7 Days in Havana was directed by seven directors. It is the story of a young American boy trying to break into the acting business and travels to Cuba during a film festival. The film was a gleaming adventure drama of a boy’s struggle to fulfill his dreams.
Brazilian filmmaker Roberta Marques’ latest film Rania narrates the life of Rania, who is torn between the possibility to make money at a nightclub and the will to become a "real dancer". The film is on women, by woman, and starring women.
