The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

, the capital city of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the

Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Cana ...

on behalf of Department of Cultural Affairs,

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior mini ...

. The festival is held in November or December every year and is acknowledged as one of the leading cultural events in India. Several national and international films have their premiers at the IFFK each year. Competition section is limited to 14 selected films produced in Asia, Africa or Latin America. The festival also has a section devoted to Malayalam cinema. On the lines of the IFFK, the Chalachitra Academy also organises the ''International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala''.

History

The Directorate of Film Festivals, Govt of India held the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at Thiruvananthapuram, in 1988. The festival cultivated an interest in serious films and has led to creation of several film societies throughout the state. The activities of the societies included screening of classic films from around the world, conducting group discussions on various aspects of cinema and circulating pamphlets on renowned film-makers. The film societies obtained copies of films from archives and from embassies of some countries as a part of culture-exchange programmes. The film society movement helped to raise film literacy among people and the need for an international film festival to the level of the IFFI came up. The first IFFK was in Kozhikode in 1996. Incidentally, the festival was held in the 100th anniversary of cinema and 100 films were screened as a part of the event. The event was managed by the

Kerala State Film Development Corporation Kerala State Film Development Corporation (abbreviated as KSFDC), is an organization founded by the Government of Kerala, India for promoting the film market in the state. It was founded in 1975, a period when the production of Malayalam films ...

(KSFDC) till 1998 when the

was formed and was bestowed with the responsibility of conducting IFFK along with other activities for promotion of cinema. Later, the

FIAPF The FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films; en, International Federation of Film Producers Associations), created in 1933, is an organization composed with 36 member associations from 30 of the leading audio ...

accredited the festival and a competition section was added to the event in 1999. The competition is limited to films produced in Asia, Africa or Latin America. The 'FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) and the Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) have also recognised the festival.

Highlights of the Festival

Contemporary World Cinema, New Malayalam Cinema, Retrospectives of Major filmmakers, Homage and Tributes, Contemporary

Indian Cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...

, Short films and

Documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

are screened during the film festival. Film Market and Seminars on important issues concerning Cinema are also scheduled during the IFFK. The festival is now permanently held at various

cinema halls in Thiruvananthapuram The city of Thiruvananthapuram has been the centre of cultural activities of Kerala (India) from the time it was made capital of Travancore in 1745. The capital city is a major intellectual and artistic center. The Thiruvananthapuram Museum and ...

. The festival is always noted for its public support. The festival is perhaps the only one to have screenings in a prison, a juvenile home(Poojappura Central Jail, Thiruvananthapuram) and a poor home (Sri Chitra Poor Home).

Prizes given

*The Golden Crow Pheasant Award: (Suvarna Chakoram) and a cash prize of Rs. 1,000,000/- (about US$20,000) to the best feature film to be shared equally by the director and the producer *The Silver Crow Pheasant Award: (Rajatha Chakoram) and a cash prize of Rs. 300,000/- (about US$6,000) to the best director *The Silver Crow Pheasant Award: (Rajatha Chakoram) and a cash prize of Rs. 200,000/- (about US$4,000) to the best debut director. *Audience Prize: (Rajatha Chakoram) and cash prize of Rs. 100,000 (about US$2,000) to the Director of the most popular film voted by the festival delegates *FIPRESCI Award: For the best film chosen by the Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique. *Netpac Award: For the best film in the competition section from Asia, chosen by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema. *Newly Introduced Awards: In 2007, two more awards from the FIPRESCI and the Netpac are introduced, which will be awarded separately to the best

Malayalam films Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

at the festival.

Golden Crow Pheasant for Best Film – Winners

IFFK 2021 and IFFK 2022

Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurating 26th International Film Festival of Kerala

The 26th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK 2021) was held from 18 to 25 March 2022. The festival was inaugurated by the

Chief Minister of Kerala The chief minister of Kerala is the chief executive of the Indian state of Kerala. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Fol ...

Pinarayi Vijayan Pinarayi Vijayan (; born 24 May 1945) is an Indian Communist politician who is the current Chief Minister of Kerala, serving since 25 May 2016. A member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), he is the longest-serving sec ...

. Kurdish film maker

Lisa Calan Lisa Calan is a Kurdish filmmaker who lost both of her legs in a terrorist attack in Turkey in 2015 by the IS. She has made a short film and has participated in several feature films, documentaries and TV series projects. The artist lost both ...

was awarded with the Spirit of Cinema award at the inaugural function in Thiruvananthapuram. The 27th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK 2022) is planned for 9 to 16 December 2022.

IFFK 2019

The 24th IFFK was held over eight days, from 6 December 2019 to 13 December 2019. The opening film was by Serhat Karaaslan. The international jury was chaired by Egyptian director

Khairy Beshara Khairy Beshara ( ar, خيري بشارة ; born June 30, 1947 in Tanta, Egypt) is an Egyptian film director active in the Egyptian film industry since the 1970s. He is considered one of the Egyptian directors who re-defined Realism in Eg ...

. * The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best film – '' Aru Sendo No Hanashi'' directed by Jōe Odagiri from Japan * Lifetime Achievement Award –

Fernando Solanas Fernando Ezequiel "Pino" Solanas (16 February 1936 – 6 November 2020) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter, and politician. His films include; '' La hora de los hornos (The Hour of the Furnaces)'' (1968), '' Tangos: el exilio de Gardel'' ...

from Argentina * Audience Prize for Best Film –

Jallikattu (or ), also known as and , is a traditional event in which a bull (''Bos indicus''), such as the Pulikulam or Kangayam breeds, is released into a crowd of people, and multiple human participants attempt to grab the large hump on the bull's ba ...

Lijo Jose Pellissery Lijo Jose Pellissery (born 18 September 1978) is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. Known for his unconventional approach in directing, his films are characterized by nonlinear storylines and very long takes. His best ...

* The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director – Allan Deberton for ''Paquerette'' * Special Mention, in the Category 'Best Director' – Lijo Jose Pellissery for ''Jallikattu'' * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Debut Director – Cesar Diaz for ''Nuestros Madres (

Our Mothers ''Our Mothers'' ( es, Nuestras madres) is a 2019 internationally co-produced drama film directed by César Díaz. It follows a forensic anthropologist in Guatemala investigating the disappearance of his father, a guerrilla fighter who went miss ...

)'' * FIPRESCI Award: Best Film – ''Camille'' directed by Boris Lojkine * FIPRESCI Award: Best Malayalam Film – ''Pani'' directed by Santhosh Mandoor * NETPAC Award: Best Asian Film – ''Aani Maani'' by

Fahim Irshad Fahim also spelled as Faheem or Fehim is a masculine given name of Arabic Cyprusian origin, also used as a surname, which means "perceptive", "understanding", "keen" or "intelligent", derived from the root word ''Fahm'', found in the Quran in verse ...

from India * NETPAC Award: Best Malayalam Film – ''

Veyilmarangal ''Veyilmarangal'' () is a Malayalam language drama film written and directed by Bijukumar Damodaran and produced by Baby Mathew Somatheeram. The film starring Indrans and Prakash Bare has M. J. Radhakrishnan as cinematographer. It revolves around ...

'' directed by Dr. Biju * NETPAC Award: Malayalam Film (Special Mention) – ''

Kumbalangi Nights ''Kumbalangi Nights'' is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Madhu C. Narayanan. The directorial debut was written by Syam Pushkaran and jointly produced by Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim under their production house Fa ...

'' by Madhu C Narayanan * K R Mohanan Award for Best Debut Director from India – ''Aani Maani'' by

IFFK 2018

The 23rd IFFK was held from 7 December 2018 to 13 December 2018. This edition was initially cancelled due to heavy flooding across parts of Kerala. However, it was later decided to conduct the festival on a limited scale. The opening film was Todos lo Saben by Asghar Farhadi. The international jury was chaired by Iranian director

Majid Majidi Majid Majidi ( fa, مجید مجیدی, ; born 17 April 1959) is an Iranian film director, producer, and screenwriter, who started his film career as an actor. In his films, Majidi has touched on many themes and genres and has won numerous inte ...

. * The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best film – ''

Otagh-e-Tarik ''The Dark Room'' ( fa, اتاق تاریک) is a 2018 Iranian drama directed, written and produced by Rouhollah Hejazi. The subject of this film is the persecution and rape of children in Iran. Hejazi went to the thirty-sixth Fajr Film Fest ...

'' directed by Rouhollah Hejazi from Iran * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director –

for ''Ee. Maa. Yove.'' * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Debut Director – Anamika Haksar for ''Taking the Horse to eat Jalebis ( Ghode Ko Jalebi Khilane Le Ja Riya Hoon)'' * FIPRESCI Award: Best Malayalam Film – '' Sudani from Nigeria'' directed by Zakariya Mohammed * NETPAC Award: Best Asian Film – '' Ee. Maa. Yove.'' directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery from India * K R Mohanan Award for Best Film – ''Manohar and I'' by Amitabha Chatterjee

IFFK 2017

The 22nd IFFK was held in December 2017 and gave the following awards:- * The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best film – ''

Wajib ' ( ar, فرض) or ' () or fardh in Islam is a religious duty commanded by God. The word is also used in Turkish, Persian, Pashto, Urdu (''spelled farz''), and Malay (''spelled fardu or fardhu'') in the same meaning. Muslims who obey such c ...

'' directed by Annemarie Jacir * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director – Anucha Boonyawatana for '' Malila: The Farewell Flower'' * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Debut Director – Sanju Surendran for ''Aedan'' * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Feature Film (Audience Prize) – ''I Still Hide to Smoke'' * FIPRESCI Award: Best Malayalam Film – ''

Aedan Aidan or Aiden is a modern version of a number of Celtic language names, including the Irish male given name ''Aodhán'', the Scottish Gaelic given name Aodhan and the Welsh name Aeddan. Phonetic variants, such as spelled with an "e" instead of ...

'' directed by Sanju Surendran * FIPRESCI Award: Best International Film – '' Newton'' directed by Amit Masurkar from India * NETPAC Award: Best Malayalam Film – '' Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum'' * NETPAC Award: Best Asian Film – ''Newton'' directed by Amit Masurkar from India

IFFK 2016

The 21st IFFK was held in December 2014 and gave the following awards:- * The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best film – '' Eshtebak'' directed by

Mohamed Diab Mohamed Diab ('' ar, محمد دياب'', , born 1978) is an Egyptians, Egyptian screenwriter and director whose work often centers on pressing issues concerning Egyptian society. He is known for his directorial debut film 678 (film), ''Cairo 678 ...

* The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director – Yesim Ustaoglu for ''Tereddüt'' * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Debut Director –

Vidhu Vincent Vidhu Vincent is an Indian film director, writer, journalist and theatre activist from Kerala. She made her feature film debut with the Malayalam film ''Manhole'', which won her that year's Kerala State Film Award for Best Director. At the 21st ...

for ''Manhole'' * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Feature Film (Audience Prize) – ''Eshtebak'' directed by Mohamed Diab * FIPRESCI Award: Best Malayalam Film – ''

Manhole A manhole (utility hole, maintenance hole, or sewer hole) is an opening to a confined space such as a shaft, utility vault, or large vessel. Manholes are often used as an access point for an underground public utility, allowing inspection, m ...

'' directed by Vidhu Vincent * FIPRESCI Award: Best International Film – ''Almacenados'' directed by Jack Zagha * NETPAC Award: Best Malayalam Film – ''

Kammatipaadam ''Kammatipaadam'', alternatively spelled as ''Kammatti Paadam'', is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Rajeev Ravi and written by P. Balachandran. The film stars Dulquer Salmaan, Vinayakan, Shaun Romy, Manikandan ...

'' directed by Rajeev Ravi * NETPAC Award: Best Asian Film – ''

Cold of Kalandar ''Cold of Kalandar'' ( tr, Kalandar Soğuğu) is a 2015 Turkish drama film directed by Mustafa Kara. It was selected as the Turkish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated. Cast * Haydar ...

'' directed by Mustafa Kara

IFFK 2014

The 19th IFFK was held from 12 December 2014 to 19 December 2014. With a total of 140 films, 10 sections and 12 theatres, The world cinema package of the IFFK has a total of 60 films from 37 countries, including, French and Chinese film packages.

The Awards

* The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best film – '' Refugiado'' directed by Nicolas Avruj * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director – Hiroshi Toda for ''Summer, Kyoto'' * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Debut Director –

Hossein Shahabi Hossein Shahabi ( fa, ; 28 November 1967 – 22 January 2023) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter and film producer. Biography Shahabi has got Cinema Directing master's degree and Classical Music B.A from Tehran University. After grad ...

for ''

The Bright Day ''The Bright Day'' ( fa, روز روشن) is a 2013 Iranian social drama film directed by Hossein Shahabi. It is his debut feature film which was very well received by Iranian film critics and audiences of the 31st Fajr Film Festival of Tehran in ...

'' * FIPRESCI Award: Best Malayalam Film – ''

Oraalppokkam Oraalppokkam is a Malayalam film written and directed by Sanalkumar Sasidharan. It is the first Malayalam movie which has been produced through online crowdfunding program. This is an initiative of Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi, a film society move ...

'' directed by Sanalkumar Sasidharan * FIPRESCI Award: Best International Film – ''They Are The Dogs'' directed by Hicham Lasri * NETPAC Award: Best Malayalam Film – ''Oraalppokkam'' directed by Sanalkumar Sasidharan * NETPAC Award: Best Asian Film – ''Summer, Kyoto'' directed by Hiroshi Toda from Japan

IFFK 2013

The 18th IFFK was held from 7 December 2013 to 13 December 2013. The festival began with the guests and audience observing a minute's silent prayer in honour of South African leader Nelson Mandela. Renowned actress

Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...

was the chief guest. Amos Gitai's ''Ana Arabia'', an Israeli movie shot in an 85-minute-long single sequence was the opening film at the festival. As many as 211 films from 64 countries under various categories like 'Competition Section', 'World Cinema', 'Indo-German Connection Section', 'Samurai Film Section', 'Retrospective Section' and 'Homage Section' were screened during the festival. A total of 14 movies from Asia, Africa and Latin America were selected for the Competition Section, while the World Cinema segment had 79 movies. Seven films including those of noted Japanese directors like

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won ...

and

Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, who directed about one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include ''The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums'' (1939), '' The Life of Oharu'' (1952), ''Ugets ...

comprised the Samurai Film section. Seeking to mark the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema, a special section titled "Original Glory: 100 Years of Indian Cinema" was included. It included Indian classics like Satyajit Ray's ''

Charulata ''Charulata'' (Spelt as ''Cārulatā''; ) is a 1964 Indian drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray. Based upon the novel ''Nastanirh'' by Rabindranath Tagore, it stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee and Sailen Mukherjee. The f ...

'' and

Mrinal Sen Mrinal Sen (''Beng.'' মৃণাল সেন; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was an Indian film director, and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Bengali, and few Hindi and Telugu language films. Regarded as one of the finest Ind ...

's ''

Bhuvan Shome ''Bhuvan Shome'' is a 1969 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Mrinal Sen based on the story of Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay. The cast includes Utpal Dutt (Mr. Bhuvan Shome) and Suhasini Mulay (Gauri, a village belle). Sen based his film ...

''. Veteran Mexican filmmaker

Arturo Ripstein Arturo Ripstein y Rosen (born December 13, 1943) is a Mexican film director and screenwriter. Considered the "Godfather of independent Mexican cinema", Ripstein's work is generally characterized by "somber, slow-paced, macabre melodramas tackling ...

chaired the jury panel of the Competition Section, which also comprised Thai film maker Aditya Assarat, South African director Khalo Matabane and south Indian actor

Gautami Gautami Tadimalla (born 2 July 1969), known mononymously as Gautami, is an Indian actress and politician who has worked mainly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films in addition to Hindi, and Kannada films. She was one of the leading South India ...

. Spanish Filmmaker

Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (born 4 January 1932) is a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. Along with Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be one of Spain’s most renowned filmmakers. He has a long and prolific career t ...

was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Awards

* The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best film – ''Parviz'' (

Majid Barzegar Majid Barzegar ( fa, مجید برزگر; born March 6, 1973 in Hamedan) is an Iranian film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. He established his own film company Rainy pictures in 2005 with the aim of stimulating the independent ...

) * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Debut Film – ''Errata'' (Ivan Vescovo) * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director –

Kamaleswar Mukherjee Kamaleswar Mukherjee, M.B.B.S. is an Indian film director, actor, and physician known for his work in Bengali-language films. Films directed by him include ''Chander Pahar'' (2013), '' Meghe Dhaka Tara'' (2013), '' Amazon Obhijaan'' (2017) ' ...

('' Meghe Dhaka Tara'') * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Feature Film (Audience Prize) – '' 101 Chodyangal'' (101 Questions) (Sidhartha Shiva) * FIPRESCI Award for Best Film Competition Section – ''Errata'' (Ivan Vescovo) * FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film – ''

Kanyaka Talkies ''Kanyaka Talkies'' ( English translation: ''Virgin Talkies'') is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language film co-written and directed by K R Manoj in his feature directorial debut. It is based on a story by P. V. Shajikumar. The film premiered at t ...

'' * NETPAC Award for Best Malayalam Film – '' CR No: 89''

IFFK 2012

The 17th IFFK was at

7–14 December 2012. It was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister

Oommen Chandy Oommen Chandy, , (born 31 October 1943) is an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Chief Minister of Kerala for two terms, from 2004 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2016. He was also Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislati ...

with a special screening of Alfred Hitchcock's silent film '' The Ring'' (1927), with the accompaniment of live orchestration of a new score created by the sextet led by British Jazz artiste

Soweto Kinch Soweto Kinch (born 10 January 1978) is a British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper. Biography Born in 1978 in London, England, to a Barbadian father, playwright Don Kinch, and British-Jamaican actress Yvette Harris, Soweto Kinch began playin ...

. One hundred and ninety eight films from 54 countries were shown in the festival. 14 films were screened in the competition section, including two Malayalam films (''

Bhoomiyude Avakashikal ''Bhoomiyude Avakashikal'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language film written and directed by T. V. Chandran based on the novel of the same name by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. The film stars Kailash in the lead role along with Sreenivasan and M ...

'' by T. V. Chandran and '' Shutter'' by Joy Mathew) and two non-Malayalam Indian films (''I.D'' by Kamal K. M. and '' Filmistaan'' by Nitin Kakkar). IFFK 2012 had retrospectives of thespians and auteurs, past and present. It had works by Australian filmmaker Paul Cox (who chaired the competition jury), Burkina Faso film director and screenwriter

Pierre Yameogo Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, French filmmaker

Alain Resnais Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included ...

, the Japanese master filmmaker

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

, Brazilian actor Helena Ignez, British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and Malayalam actor Sathyan. IFFK 2012 was appreciated for improved viewing experiences it provided through better theatre atmosphere and high-tech sound and visual systems. IFFK 2012 was not free from controversies either. The ban imposed on the reshow of Deepa Mehta's ''

Midnight's Children ''Midnight's Children'' is a 1981 novel by Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie, published by Jonathan Cape with cover design by Bill Botten, about India's transition from British colonial rule to independence and partition. It is a postc ...

'' created a widespread controversy. The film, an adaptation of renowned writer

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...

's masterpiece novel ''

'', had its Asian premiere at the IFFK. After the premiere,

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

leaders said that the film portrayed former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi and other leaders in a negative manner. Following the allegations, further festival screening of the film was stopped, an act which drew heavy criticism. Another controversy developed when Jayan K. Cherian's '' Papilio Buddha'' was removed from the programme when it was alleged by the Kerala Police that it became known that continued inclusion of the film in the festival might trigger major trouble in the city due to its alleged negative remarks on

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and sympathy with

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...

The Awards

* The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for Best Feature Film – '' Sta. Nina'' (Emmanuel Quindo Palo) * Special Jury mention- '' The Last Step''- Ali Mosaffa (Iran) * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for Best Debut Film – '' Filmistaan'' (Nitin Kakkar) * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for Best Director – Francisca Silva (''Ivan's Woman'') * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for Best Feature Film (Audience Prize) – '' Shutter'' (Joy Mathew) * FIPRESCI Award for Best Asian Film – '' The Repentant'' (

Merzak Allouache Merzak Allouache (born 6 October 1944) is an Algerian film director and screenwriter. His 1976 film ''Omar Gatlato'' was later entered into the 10th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Silver Prize. His 1996 '' Salut cousin!'' w ...

) * FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film – '' Ithra Mathram'' (K. Gopinath) * NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film – ''I. D.'' (K. D. Kamal) * NETPAC Award for Best Malayalam Film – ''

Ee Adutha Kalathu '' Ee Adutha Kaalathu'' ( en, In Recent Times) is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy crime film written by Murali Gopy and directed by Arun Kumar Aravind. The film marks the second directorial venture by Arun Kumar Aravind, after his ...

'' (

Arun Kumar Aravind Arun Kumar Aravind is an Indian film director, editor and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. Biography Arun Kumar Aravind, was better known as the editor of director Priyadarshan, owns to his credit a span of 10 years' ex ...

) * Hassan Kutty Award for Best Debut Indian Film – '' Chayilyam'' (Manoj Kana)

IFFK 2011

The 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK 2011) was at Thiruvananthapuram 9- December 2011. It was opened by the state of Kerala Chief Minister

with actress

Jaya Bachchan Jaya Bachchan (''née'' Bhaduri; born 9 April 1948) is an Indian actress and politician. She is a member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party, serving four terms since 2004. Known primarily for her work in Hindi and Bengali ...

as the guest of honor. The inaugural film was ''Under the Hawthron Tree'', directed by Chinese film-maker Zhang Yimou. Noted director

Priyadarshan Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in ...

was the jury chairman. K G Santhosh was the Secretary and executive Director of the Festival.

The Awards

*The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for Best Feature Film – '' The Colours of the Mountain'', directed by Carlos Cesar Arbelaez *The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for Best Debut Film – ''A Stone's Thrown Away'' (Sebastian Hiriat) *The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for Best Director – Hamid Reza Aligholian (''Flemingo No: 13'') *The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for Best Feature Film (Audience Prize) – The Painting Lesson (Pablo Perelman) *FIPRESCI Award for Best Asian Film – ''

Future Lasts Forever ''Future Lasts Forever'' ( tr, Gelecek Uzun Sürer) is a 2011 Turkish drama film, written and directed by Özcan Alper, starring Gaye Gürsel as an Istanbul music student who travels to south-east Turkey to record traditional music and confront he ...

'' ( Ozcan Alper) *FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film – '' Adaminte Makan Abu'' ('Abu, son of Adam') (

Salim Ahamed Salem Ahamed is an Indian film director, screen writer and producer. After working for a long time as a travel consultant, he joined as a creative director and script writer in a television channel. His directorial debut, '' Adaminte Makan Abu ...

) *NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film – ''At the End of It All'' (Aditi Roy) *NETPAC Award for Best Malayalam Film – ''Adaminte Makan Abu'' (Salim Ahamed) *Hassan Kutty Award for Best Debut Indian Film – ''Adaminte Makan Abu'' (Salim Ahamed)

IFFK 2010

The 15th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK 2010) was at Thiruvananthapuram 10–17 December 2010. It was opened by the state of Kerala Chief Minister

V.S. Achuthanandan Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan (born 20 October 1923) is an Indian Communist politician who was the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. At 82, he is the oldest person to have assumed the office. He served as the chairman of Adm ...

with Indian actress

Waheeda Rahman Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is an Indian actress and dancer. Regarded as one of Hindi cinema's finest actresses, Rehman's accolades include a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. Rehman was honoured with the Padma Shri by ...

as the guest of honor.

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with u ...

, the German filmmaker, was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the inaugural ceremony. A jury headed by

Adoor Gopalakrishnan Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), Go ...

chose him for the award. The opening film was ''

Please Do Not Disturb ''Please Do Not Disturb'' ( fa, لطفاً مزاحم نشوید, Lotfan mozahem nashavid) is a 2010 tri-segmented Iranian anthology film written and directed by Mohsen Abdolvahab, starring Baran Kosari in the lead role. It is produced and cinem ...

''. Around 8000 delegates which included film makers, artists and film buffs from all over India and abroad participated in the 8-day long festival. Members of the jury included

Julie Dash Julie Ethel Dash (born October 22, 1952) is an American film director, writer and producer. Dash received her MFA in 1985 at the UCLA Film School and is one of the graduates and filmmakers known as the L.A. Rebellion. The L.A. Rebellion refers ...

, Mexican filmmaker Maria Novaro, Thai filmmaker

Apichatpong Weerasethakul Apichatpong Weerasethakul ( th, อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล; ; ) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system ...

, Japanese filmmaker Yashuhiro Hariki and Indian screenplay writer and photographer

Sooni Taraporevala Sooni Taraporevala (born 1957) is an Indian screenwriter, photographer and filmmaker who is the screenwriter of '' Mississippi Masala'', '' The Namesake'' and Oscar-nominated ''Salaam Bombay!'' (1988), all directed by Mira Nair. She also adapte ...

. The festival had a retrospective section of

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Fassbinder's main ...

, and showed films of

, Olivier Assayas, Mario Novaro and

. A total of 207 films from 83 countries were screened at the 15th IFFK giving prominence to the films from Asia, Latin America and Africa. There were various film discussion sessions with Werner Herzog, Apichatpong Weerasethakul,

, Maria Novaro, Juliane Lorenz and many prominent Indian filmmakers.

Mani Ratnam Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six ...

, notable Indian filmmaker, was the chief guest of the closing ceremony.

The Awards

*The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for Best Feature Film – "Portraits in a Sea of Lies", directed by Carlos Gaviria (Colombia) *The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for Best Debut Film – Zephyr, directed by Belma Bas *The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for Best Director – Julia Solomonoff for"The Last Summer of La Boyita" *FIPRESCI Award for Best Film – '' Dowaha'', ('Buried Secrets') directed by

Raja Amari Raja Amari (born 4 April 1971) is a Tunisian film director and script writer. She is best known for her films ''Satin Rouge/ Red Satin'' (2002), and '' Dowaha/Les Secrets/Buried Secrets'' (2009), both of which have earned international awards and ...

*FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film – ''

Makaramanju ''Makaramanju'' ( en, The Mist of Capricorn, italic=yes) is a 2011 Malayalam language romantic drama film written and directed by Lenin Rajendran. The film is about celebrated painter Raja Ravi Varma's life at a certain stage in his life. It als ...

'', directed by

Lenin Rajendran Lenin Rajendran ( ml, ലെനിൻ രാജേന്ദ്രൻ) was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked in Malayalam cinema. He served as the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation from 2016 to January 2019 ...

*NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film – "I Am—Afiya Megha Abhimanyu Omar", directed by Onir Anirban. *NETPAC Award for Best Malayalam Film – ''

Veettilekkulla Vazhi ''Veettilekkulla Vazhi'' () is a 2010 Indian Malayalam adventure drama film written and directed by Dr. Biju. The film is about terrorist organizations operating in India and how they recruit young Keralites. It stars Prithviraj, Indrajith an ...

'' (The Way Home), directed by Dr. Biju *Hassan Kutty Award for Best Debut Indian Film – '' Chitrasutram'' directed by

Vipin Vijay Vipin Vijay (born 1977) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He received his post-graduate degree in filmmaking from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute SRFTI, Calcutta. He received the Charles Wallace Arts Award for research ...

IFFK 2009

The 14th IFFK was 11–18 December 2009. The competition jury included: Chairperson Bahman Ghobadi (Iran), Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda (Congo), Prassanna Vithnarage (Sri Lanka), Mamta Shankar (India) and Hala Khalili (Egypt).

The Awards

Competition Awards went to: *Suvarna Chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 1 million for Best film shared between: ''

Darbareye Elly ''About Elly'' ( fa, درباره الی, translit. ''Dar bāre-ye Elly'') is a 2009 Iranian drama film. The fourth film by filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, the film examines middle class relationships in Iran. It received universal acclaim. Farhad ...

/About Elly'' (Iran) Director:

Asghar Farhadi Asghar Farhadi ( fa, اصغر فرهادی, ; born 7 May 1972)Soureh Movie Database

and ''Jermal /Fishing Platform'' (Indonesia) Director: Ravi Bharwani *Rajatha Chakoram and cash prize of Rs 300,000 for Best Director: Nosir Saidov for the film True Noon (Tadjikistan) *Rajatha Chakoram and a cash prize of Rs 200,000 for Best Debut Film: Izulu Lami /My Secret Sky Dir: Madoda Ncayiyana *Rajatha Chakoram and a cash prize of Rs 100,000 for Audience Award: Ghiyame Rooz/True Noon (Tadjikistan) directed by Nosir Saidov * FIPRESCI Award for Best Film: La Mosca en la Ceniza/ A Fly in the Ashes (Argentina) Dir: Gabriela David * FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film: Pathaam Nilayile Theevandi/ Train on the Tenth Floor dir: Joshy Mathew *NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film in Competition: Jermal /Fishing Platform (Indonesia) Director: Ravi Bharwani *NETPAC Award for Best Malayalam Film : Kerala Café: Dirs: Shyamaprasad, Lal Jose, Shaji Kailas, B Unnikrishnan, Revathy, Anvar Rasheed, Padma Kumar, Anjali Menon, Uday Ananathan, Sankar Ramakrishnan *Hassan Kutty Award for Best Debut Indian Film (Certificate and a cash prize of Rs 50,000/ instituted by

Mira Nair Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spher ...

Harishchandrachi Factory ''Harishchandrachi Factory'' (; ) is a 2009 Indian Marathi-language biographical film written and directed by Paresh Mokashi. It is about Dadasaheb Phalke, who made the first Indian feature film ''Raja Harishchandra'' (1913), and starring Nandu ...

/ Harishchandra's Factory (Marathi) Dir:

Paresh Mokashi Paresh Mokashi (born 6 February 1969) is an Indian filmmaker, producer, actor and Theatre director-producer; working predominantly in Marathi cinema and Marathi theatre. He started working as a backstage worker for theatre and did few minor r ...

IFFK 2008

The 13th International Film Festival of Kerala was held from 12 to 19 December 2008. The festival was inaugurated by the

, V. S. Achutanandan. Argentinean filmmaker Fernando Birri and veteran actor

K.R. Vijaya Deivanayaki better known by her stage name K. R. Vijaya is an Indian actress who has featured in Tamil language, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu language, Telugu and Kannada films. She started her career in 1963 and has been acting for more than fiv ...

were the chief guests. The opening film of the festival was ''Laila's Birthday'', by Palestinian director

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. The eight-day long festival had 182 films from 53 countries. 14 films, including two Malayalam films, were in the competition section. Lucia Murat (Brazil) headed the jury, which also consisted of

Samira Makhmalbaf Samira Makhmalbaf ( fa, سمیرا مخملباف, ''Samira Makhmalbaaf'') (born 15 February 1980) Filmography Awards and nominations * "Sutherland Trophy", London Film Festival (1998), UK. * "Special Mention, Official Jury", Locarno Fi ...

(Iran),

Sitora Alieva Sitora Shokhinovna Alieva (russian: Ситора Шохиновна Алиева) – film expert, director of the IFF “Faces of love” and the IIF Sochi, artistic director of the largest Russian national film festival “Kinotavr”, official ...

(Russia), Allain Jalladeau (France) and

Jabbar Patel Dr. Jabbar Patel (born 23 June 1942, Pandharpur) is a former paediatrician and a Marathi-language theatre and film director of India. His production of the play Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in Moder ...

(India). The juries representing Fipresci (International Federation of Film Critics)were Chris Fujiwara, Barbara Lorey and Manoj Barjpujari. The NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) nominated juries were

Sudhir Mishra Sudhir Mishra (born 22 January 1959) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for directing the films '' Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'', '' Dharavi'' and '' Chameli''. Mishra has had a 30-year career, with his work recognised by the Gover ...

, Freddie Wong and Max Tesseir.

The Awards

*Suvarna Chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 1 million for the Best Film: ''Parque Via'' (Dir:Enrique Rivero) (86min/Mexico/2008) *Rajatha Chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 300,000 for Best Director: Mariana Rondon for ''

Postcards from Leningrad ''Postcards from Leningrad'', Spanish title: ''Postales de Leningrado'') is a 2007 Venezuelan film, written and directed by Mariana Rondón. It is a drama about children growing up among guerrilla groups in the 1960s in Venezuela. It was Venezu ...

'' *Rajatha Chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 200,000 for Best Debut Film: ''My Marlon and Brando'' (Dir:Huseyin Karabey) (92min/Turkey/2008) *Special Jury Award for the Best Debut Film: ''Firaaq'' (Dir:

Nandita Das Nandita Das (born 7 November 1969) is an Indian actress and director. She has acted in over 40 feature films in ten different languages. Das appeared in the films ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth'' (1998), '' Bawandar'' (2000), '' Kannathil Muthamittal' ...

) (101min/

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

/2008) *Special Jury Award: ''The Yellow House'' (Dir: Amor Hakkar) (84min/

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, France/2008) *Audience Award for the best film: ''Machan'' (Dir: Uberto Pasolini, Sri Lanka) *FIPRESCI award for Best Film: ''

'' (Dir: Mariana Rondon) *FIPRESCI award for the best Malayalam film: ''

Manjadikuru ''Manjadikuru'' ( en, Lucky Red Seeds) is a 2008 Malayalam film written and directed by Anjali Menon. A shorter video version of the film was premiered at the 2008 International Film Festival of Kerala, and won the FIPRESCI Award for best Mala ...

'' (Dir: Anjali Menon) *NETPAC award for the best Asian film: ''My Marlon and Brando'' (Dir: Huseyin Karabey) *NETPAC award for the best Malayalam film: ''Adayalangal'' (Dir: M.G. Sasi) *Hassankutty Award for the best Indian debut director: Anjali Menon for ''

IFFK 2007

The 12th IFFK (IFFK 2007) was 6–14 December. The festival was opened by actor Kamal Haasan;

Miguel Littin Miguel Ernesto Littin Cucumides (born 9 August 1942) is a Chilean film director, screenwriter, film producer and novelist. He was born to a Palestinian father, Hernán Littin and a Greek mother, Cristina Cucumides. Career Miguel Littin dir ...

(Chilean director), MA Baby was the guest of honor. Other notable attendees included: the Minister for Cultural Affairs,

state of Kerala State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

; and actors Naseeruddin Shah and

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically app ...

. Twelve people were honored at the competition for their contribution to the growth of the Malayalam cinema: producers M.O. Joseph, K.N. Ravindranathan Nair, R.S. Prabhu, the former Film Archives director P.K. Nair, music directors,

M.S. Viswanathan Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan (24 June 1928 – 14 July 2015), also known as M.S.V., was an Indian music director, singer and actor who predominantly worked in Tamil film industry. He was popularly known as ''Mellisai Mannar''. He compose ...

and M.K. Arjunan, playback singer

S. Janaki Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...

, art director S. Konnanad, actors

KPAC Lalitha Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha, was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in Malyalam. She started her acting career with K. P. A. C., a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a care ...

, K. R. Vijaya, T. R. Omana, Santhadevi and makeup man Velappan. 231 films from 54 countries were screened at eight

, namely Ajanta, New Theatre, Kalabhavan, Kairali, Sree, Kripa, Dhanya and Remya theatres.The Hindu: Stage set for international film festival
/ref> 14 films were selected for the competition section which was limited to films produced or co-produced in Asia, Africa & Latin America between September 2006 & August 2007. The jury consisted of Iranian filmmaker

Jafar Panahi Jafar Panâhi ( fa, جعفر پناهی, ; born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly associated with the Iranian New Wave film movement. After several years of making short films and working as an ass ...

, African actor and director Naky Sy Savene, Polish scenarist Agnieska Holland, actor and producer Naseeruddin Shah and Cuban Film Academy director Rigoberto Lopez. Journalist Sheila Johnston heads the Fipresci jury which consisted of Turkish critic Cüneyt Cebenoyan and documentary filmmaker Varala Anand.

The Awards

*Suvarna Chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 1 million for the best film shared by: ''XXY'' directed by Lucia Puenzo and ''10+4'' directed by Mania Akbarikeralafilm.co
Official Festival Page
retrieved on 16 December 2007 *Rajatha Chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 200,000 for the Best director: Mania Akbari (Iran) ''10+4'' *Rajatha Chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 300,000 for the Best Debut Film: Lucia Puenzo (Argentina) for ''XXY'' *Special jury prize: Abdullah Oguz (Turkey) for ''Bliss'' *FIPRESCI Award for the Best Film in competition: '' Sleepwalking Land'' *FIPRESCI Award for the Best Malayalam Film: ''Ore Kadal'' *NETPAC Award for the Best Asian Film in competition: ''

Getting Home ''Getting Home'' () is a 2007 Chinese comedy/drama film directed by Zhang Yang and starring Chinese comedian Zhao Benshan. It is episodic and follows two workers in their 50s, Zhao (Zhao Benshan) and Liu (Hong Qiwen). The film opens when Liu un ...

'' *NETPAC Award for the Best Malayalam Film: ''Ore Kadal''

References

External links

IFFK 2010 Full Coverage: The Hindu

Reports from IFFK'08
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:International Film Festival of Kerala Festivals in Thiruvananthapuram district Cinema of Kerala Culture of Thiruvananthapuram 1996 establishments in Kerala Film festivals in Kerala Film festivals established in 1996