IFFK Competition section: Robust, even with a last minute change story
A major parameter of judging the quality of a film festival is the quality of the films that get selected for its competition section. If the competition section is weak, the festival indirectly indicates that it is either losing credibility with top directors or that its organizers are not able to spot emerging new talent. Thankfully the 13th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala that opens on 12th December 2008 in Trivandrum has a truly fascinating lineup of 14 films from Asia, Latin America and Africa. As the IIFK is not an "exclusive" FIAPF festival (as are Cannes, Berlin and Venice), it can include entries that have won awards in competition elsewhere.
Hafez (Iran). It is a very promising film from Iran. It is directed by Abolfazl Jalili, who has taken the neo-realist cinematic idiom to heart while working with children, and won at least 15 international awards. Hafez has already won the special jury award at the 2007 Rome Film Festival.
Parque via (Mexico). Written, edited and directed by Enrique Rivero, it has already won a staggering tally of 6 international awards, including the grand prize at Locarno Festival. This is a debut feature film of the director and could sweep the awards at Kerala, going by what it has already achieved.
Postcards from Leningrad (Venezuela). This is a promising entry from Writer director Mariana Rondon. This film has won 3 international awards, including the jury award at Sao Paolo festival.
Dreams of dust (Burkina Faso/France). It is another debut film in competition. It had made some impact when screened at the Sundance festival. The director Laurent Salgues is the writer of the story as well.
Machan (Sri Lanka/Italy/Germany). This film won a minor award at the Venice film festival. This is again a debut feature film for its director Uberto Pasolini.
Firaq (India). This debut film is in competition at IFFK after it was shown out of competition in Kolkata and Goa IFFI.
The Yellow House (Algeria/France). The film won the grand prize at a minor festival-Valencia-and another minor one at Locarno. It was shown at the Osian festival in Delhi earlier this year.
Gulabi Talkies (India). Directed by Girish Kassarvalli, the Kannada film bagged the best Indian Film award at the Osian Film festival in Delhi and is now competing once again at the Kerala event.
Gitmek: My Marlon and Brando (Turkey). Winner at the Tribeca and Sarajevo film festivals, this is again a debut film of note.
A potentially superb film Firekeeper from Iran, directed by Mohsen Amiryoussefi, which could well have been one of the finest entries in the festival, has been yanked off the competition list, just two days prior to the festival. I had met Mr. Amiryoussefi who is probably the most exciting filmmaker in Iran today soon after he screened his debut film Bitter dreams at the Dubai festival some 4 years ago. The firekeeper has now been replaced by The photograph a film from Indonesia, winner of two awards at the Karlovy Vary festival.
What are left in the Competition are two Malayalam films, K P Kumaran's Akash Gopuram (Castles in the air) and M.G Sasi's Adayalangal (The imprints) from India, a film from Kazakhstan called Farewell Guzari by a promising young director Ardak Amirkulov and another Turkish film Refugee. These make up the 14 film sin competition.
If 10 of the 14 listed above have such fine credentials, it is likely that that the last four are equally good. One has to realize that this Kerala Festival has so far not mentioned the inclusion of Adoor Gopalakrishnan's latest film, unless it is going to open or close the festival. It is definitely not in competition for awards. This truly indicates that the quality of the competition section is sound. One could just concentrate on the competition section and not feel cheated!
The main jury will award three prizes-best feature film in competition, best director and best debut director. There is an audience award for the best film in competition and another from FIPRESCI.
