Lauding the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK)’s contribution in elevating the standards of Malayalam cinema and the audience over the two decades of its existence, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared the 24th edition of the festival open, at a function held at the Nishagandhi auditorium on Friday evening.
“The positive changes that the IFFK has brought about has changed Malayalam cinema from head to toe. It has contributed to raising the standards and awareness of our audience, and has given confidence to our young filmmakers to work without catering to the diktats of the market. The IFFK is a festival that declares its political stance clearly, in giving prominence to films from the Third World countries. It is a forum of resistance against autocratic, fascist tendencies. It is this stance that makes it different from some bigger festivals that ignore the politics of cinema and give prominence to just entertainment and aesthetics,” the CM said.
He said that the recent trend of non-commercial cinema getting good collection in theatres reflect the improvement in the standards of the audience. In an apparent reference to the recent discussions on the prevalence of drugs in the film industry, he said that people should strive for the ‘high’ provided by good cinema.
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Culture Minister A.K. Balan, who presided over the function, said that the IFFK had found a space in the cultural map of the world over the past 24 years.
“Much has changed in cinema from the time this festival began, right from the subjects that are being handled to the technical aspects. It is to the credit of the IFFK that it has reflected all of these changes over the years,” he said.
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Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran, the chief guest, said that festivals such as the IFFK gave reason for hope at a time when hatred and lies rent the air.
Actor Sarada was honoured for her contribution to Malayalam cinema. The Chief Minister released the first volume of a book on 90 years of Malayalam cinema by Aravindan Vallachira.
The first volume provides details and photographs of all the films released during the first 50 years of the industry.
Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor K. Sreekumar released the festival booklet by handing over a copy to Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat president V.K. Madhu. The daily bulletin was released by V.K. Prasanth, MLA, by handing over a copy to KTDC chairman M. Vijayakumar.
The festival edition of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy’s magazine Chalachitra Sameeksha was released by actor Sarada, who handed over a copy to Egyptian filmmaker Khairy Beshara, the jury chairman.