The 13th edition of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) opened at the Ariesplex SL Cinemas in the capital on Thursday.
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The festival, earlier scheduled to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, got off to a quiet start as the inaugural event was called off as a mark of respect to Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other officers who died in the IAF helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
After offering tributes to the departed, the opening film Beirut: Eye of the Storm was screened. The film follows four young women artists in Beirut who document a turbulent period in Lebanese history, from the momentous October 2019 uprising against the ruling regime to the subsequent lockdown and the massive explosion at the port a few months later.
A total of 33 films, including long and short documentaries, short films and campus films, were screened on the first day. Spanish film The Button , which depicts the life of a doctor who lost his job during the pandemic, received positive response. This film, directed by Adolf Penn, was screened to a packed audience.
New category
Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan will inaugurate Isolation and Survival, a new category of films at the IDSFFK that features films set during the COVID-19 pandemic, at 6 p.m. on Friday.
This category features 10 films based on award-winning screenplays in a competition organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy last year. Mr. Gopalakrishnan will also present the best screenplay awards at the function.
