The capital city will wake up to eight days of silver screen entertainment and much more from Friday as the 17 edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) gets off a start at the Nishagandhi Auditorium at Kanakakunnu.
The city is already teeming with movie aficionados from across the country and quite a few from outside among the 7,000-plus delegates expected to attend the festival. The entire span of the city will have a judicious spattering of the reel world over 11 venues, apart from the inaugural venue at the Nishagandhi Auditorium. All the venues have been decked up for the mega event that will go on till December 14.
Starting from Nishagandhi in Kanakakunnu towards the north of the city, the venues are Kala Bhavan, Sree Padmanabha Theatre, Anjali Theatre, Dhanya and Remya theatres, Kairali complex, New Theatre, Kripa and Ajanta theatres.
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The renovated Kala Bhavan Theatre was inaugurated on Thursday. The theatre has been equipped with the latest screening technology, according to the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC). Minister for Cinema, Sports and Forests K.B. Ganesh Kumar, who inaugurated the renovated Kala Bhavan, said the KSFDC had renovated four theatres in the district, including Kala Bhavan. Two more theatres, one each in Kozhikode and Alappuzha, too were being modernised and are expected to be ready in eight months. Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Chalachitra Academy chairman Priyadarshan were present.
Renovated by BSNL Engineers, Kala Bhavan’s new avatar is designed by Chennai-based architects Keerthi and Khader Moideen. Complete with a 2K digital projection system, a 7.1 sound system, air-conditioning, pushback seats and a silver projection screen, the 120-day facelift cost about Rs.1.5 crore. The new theatre has 275 seats. The revised ticket rates for the public, for movie screening after the festival, will be decided by the government later.