International Film Festival of Kerala 2023 kicks off, CM Pinarayi Vijayan highlights screening of movies expressing solidarity with Palestine

“While film festivals like those in Venice, Cannes, Berlin etc, are larger, older and attract greater participation than ours, IFFK stands shoulder to shoulder with any global film festival when it comes to the political content of the films showcased. The screening of films expressing solidarity with Palestine this year serves as a testament to this,” he conveyed in a video message shared with the organisers, as the Chief Minister couldn’t attend the event in person due to the ongoing Nava Kerala Sadas programme.

Bollywood actor Nana Patekar graced the opening ceremony as the chief guest, while Culture and Youth Affairs Minister Saji Cherian presided over the event. Minister Saji, addressing the audience, emphasised that despite the boom of OTT platforms, IFFK’s glory remains undiminished.

Nana Patekar also expressed sadness over never having received the chance to work in Malayalam cinema throughout his career. The actor, however, mentioned that filmmakers Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Ranjith have given assurances of casting him in their upcoming films.

The event also saw Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu receiving the IFFK’s Spirit of Cinema Award. “Cinema is the language of love, of life. Stories were created before us. As filmmakers, our joy is to express these stories. And through expressing those stories, we know we are connecting to a universal audience, a universal library of human experiences. Because of this, there can never be a film that is banned or censored because the stories come before the filmmakers. These are stories of human experience and existence. So, while my film Rafiki may live in exile now, I know one day it will come home to Kenya. And for all other stories that have found difficulty expressing themselves, I have hope that the filmmakers and storytellers in this country and beyond will find courage and a way to be vessels of truth, hope, and kindness,” she observed during her address.

During the opening ceremony, both Ranjith and Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran urged attendees to avoid creating a rush, preventing potential tragedies such as the recent stampede at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT).

After the ceremony, Mohamed Kordofani’s Sudanese drama Goodbye Julia was screened as the opening film.