Shyamhari Chakra
The much awaited silver jubilee edition of International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) has been rescheduled for February 12 to 19 next year in view of the prevailing pandemic.
The annual event, that has gained global recognition as an important film festival of India, is being hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy of the Government of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital city.
Usually, the festival happens during first week of December every year. However, in view of the prevailing pandemic, the Academy had to postpone the event.
The Academy prefers to host a physical festival instead of an online event that has been in vogue during the current situation, officials shared.
“The hosts require at least six months to plan and execute the event properly. Therefore, the Academy has already started its preparations hoping that the situation would be safe by February. However, if the current situation persists, the festival has to be postponed further,” they elaborated.
The Academy has announced that films made between September 1, 2019 and August 31,2020 will be eligible for entry into the festival and the last date for submission of the films is October 31. The list of films selected will be announced on December 10.
Usually, the festival includes 10,000 delegates who attend it from India and abroad every year. However, in order to ensure better safety measures through physical distancing during the screenings – even if the Covid crisis would be over- the Academy plans to increasing the number of theatres in the City, it was learnt.
IFFK aims at presenting a selection of the best of World Cinema and a competition section exclusively for films from Asian, African and Latin American countries. It has a special section showcasing the best of Malayalam Cinema for international audience.
The eight-day event features screening of films in the segments like International Competition, Malayalam Cinema Today, Indian Cinema Now, World Cinema, Country Focus, Retrospectives of major filmmakers, Contemporary Focus and Homages.
The annual G Aravindan Memorial Lecture is a major event of the festival.
