Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the 29th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
Published Dec 11, 2024 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 11, 2024 | 7:00 AM
A still from The Girl with the Needle.
Promising a celebration of artistry and diversity, the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will unfurl in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, 13 December.
The week-long cinematic fest will feature 177 films from 68 countries across 15 venues in the city.
To be attended by over 13,000 delegates, the IFFK will witness an array of screenings, discussions, and cultural events, setting the stage for a celebration of global cinema.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the festival at Nishagandhi Auditorium. Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Brazilian director Walter Salles’ I Am Still Here will open the festival.
IFFK logo
The lineup includes 14 films in the International Competition section, 12 films in the Malayalam Cinema Today, and 63 films in the World Cinema category.
This edition’s IFFK will also feature categories like Festival Favourites (13 films) and The Female Gaze package.
The organisers said that this year’s fest will pay tribute to Armenian cinema which is celebrating its centenary.
Other main attractions of the fest will be retrospectives of luminaries like South Korean director Hong Sang-soo and actress Shabana Azmi, celebrating veteran Malayalam actresses in a special “Never Forget” tribute, a digital art exhibition, curated by TK Rajeev Kumar, which will showcase 50 cinematic legends and others.
The festival will also host cultural programmes, a Smritideepam procession honouring film icons, and engaging forums. With 70% of theatre seats reserved and eco-friendly transport options, the festival ensures accessibility and sustainability.
According to the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy (KSCA), the organisers of the fest, this edition promises to be a milestone edition with a powerful spotlight on women’s voices in cinema.
A still from ‘Hanami’
With 52 of the 177 films directed by women, this year’s IFFK embraces the creative brilliance and unique perspectives women bring to filmmaking.
The Female Gaze category features a rich selection of globally acclaimed works by female directors, including Hanami by Denise Fernandes, Loveable by Lilja Ingolfsdottir, and Sima’s Song by Roya Sadat.
Adding to the celebration, renowned Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Cannes Grand Prix winner Payal Kapadia will be honoured with the Spirit of Cinema Award.
French cinematographer Agnès Godard, known for her vivid visual storytelling, will lead the international jury. Notably, her groundbreaking leadership marks the first time a woman cinematographer to helm the jury at IFFK.
The festival also showcases four Malayalam films by women directors, including Indu Lakshmi’s Appuram in the International Competition.
The organizers said that Golda Sellam, the festival curator, has curated an extraordinary lineup reflecting the depth of women’s artistry.
Among the many highlights, the much-anticipated ‘Festival Favourite’ package is gearing up to steal the spotlight in the 29th IFFK with a dazzling lineup of globally acclaimed films that have enchanted audiences and critics at prestigious international festivals.
The Room Next Door.
This year’s selection is a treasure trove of storytelling brilliance, it’s said, featuring titles such as The Substance, Grand Tour, Caught by the Tides, The Room Next Door, Anora, Emilia Perez, and Suspended Time.
Joining them are thought-provoking masterpieces like The Witness, I Am Still Here, The Girl with the Needle, Shikun, Vermiglio, and Meeting with the Pol Pot.
The ‘Festival Favourite’ package offers film enthusiasts a unique opportunity to experience a medley of artistic excellence and cultural narratives from across the globe.
“It may be said that a section of this kind is first of its kind because it is an extended category of masters, festival winners, films with rave reviews at festivals,” C Ajoy, secretary, KSCA and executive director of the fest, told South First.
The film fest is set to captivate cinephiles not only with its films but also through a digital art exhibition titled “Cinema Alchemy: A Digital Art Tribute.”
Curated by acclaimed filmmaker TK Rajeev Kumar, the exhibition will showcase 50 digital paintings by award-winning artist and filmmaker Razi Muhammad, celebrating iconic directors who shaped global cinema.
The exhibition, exploring surrealism and hyperrealism, pays homage to cinematic legends such as Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Andrei Tarkovsky, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Agnes Varda, and Mira Nair.
It delves into the artistic and philosophical dimensions of their work, highlighting how they used cinema to address social, political, and ethical issues.
“These filmmakers transformed cinema into a tool for social change, combining artistic brilliance with moral depth,” Rajeev Kumar, a two-time National Award winner, said.
The exhibition will be inaugurated on 14 December at the festival’s main venue, the Tagore Theatre premises, and will remain open to the public throughout the event.
The fest will also honour cinematic luminaries with retrospectives on two iconic filmmakers—veteran Indian cinematographer-director Madhu Ambat, who marks 50 years in cinema, and celebrated South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo.
Madhu Ambat
The Madhu Ambat retrospective will open at Nila Theatre, showcasing four standout works from his illustrious career, including Pinvathil, Amaram, Oka Manchi Prema Katha, and his directorial debut ‘1:1.6 An Ode to Lost Love.’
A gold medalist from the Film and Television Institute of India, Ambat’s career spans over 250 films in nine languages. Known for his poetic realism and emotional depth, he has won three National Film Awards for Best Cinematography for Adi Shankaracharya (1984), Sringaram (2006), and Adaminte Makan Abu (2010).
The surrealist masterpiece Pinvathil and the familial drama Oka Manchi Prema Katha will have their IFFK premieres.
In the Contemporary Filmmaker in Focus section, four films by Hong Sang-soo—renowned for his playful, introspective storytelling—will take centre stage.
The line-up includes A Traveller’s Needs (2024), By the Stream (2024), HaHaHa (2010), and Tale of Cinema (2005).
Hong’s minimalist narratives and inventive style celebrated at global festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and Locarno, dissect human nature and relationships with humour and poignancy.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
