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

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

, the capital city of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

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

Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Kerala State Motion Picture Academy is an autonomous non-profit institution based in Trivandrum, working under the Department of Cultural Affairs (Kerala), Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. History It was founded in Augus ...

on behalf of Department of Cultural Affairs,

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

. 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 Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

. On the lines of the IFFK, the Chalachitra Academy also organises the ''International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala''. The Academy also organized a regional film festival in 2022, ''Regional International Film Festival of Kerala'' held in Kochi.

History

The Directorate of Film Festivals, Govt of India held the

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is an annual film festival currently held in Goa, on the western coast of India. The festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excel ...

(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 filmmakers. 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. Academy introduced IFFK as the competitive festival by Shaji N. Karun filmmaker and then chairman, executive director IFFK. Later, the FIAPF accredited the festival and a competition section was added to the event in 1999.The logo of IFFK, competition Awards are designed by National Institute of design Ahmadabad. 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 Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

, Retrospectives of Major filmmakers, Homage and Tributes, Contemporary

Indian Cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...

Short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

s and

Documentaries A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...

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

Festival Awards

*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. 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, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

at the festival.

Golden Crow Pheasant for Best Film – Winners

IFFK 2024

The 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK 2024) chose '' Swapnaayanam'', directed by K. O. Akhil and starring Abhirami Bose as first Malayam actress P. K. Rosy, as its signature film. The film that uses animation to show the development of Malayalam cinema and honouring the role of Rosy.

IFFK 2022

The 27th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK 2022) was held from 9 to 16 December 2022. Hungarian filmmaker

Béla Tarr Béla Tarr (born 21 July 1955) is a Hungarian filmmaker. Debuting with the film '' Family Nest'' (1979), Tarr began his directorial career with a brief period of what he refers to as "social cinema", aimed at telling everyday stories about ordi ...

was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by Kerala's Minister of Culture V. N. Vasavan.This edition of the IFFK witnessed a change at the helm, as Deepika Suseelan took over as artistic director from Bina Paul. Bolivian film '' Utama'' directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi was awarded the Suvarna Chakoram for Best Film. Tayfun Pirselimoglu was awarded Rajata Chakoram for Best Director for his film ''Kerr''.

IFFK 2021

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,

Pinarayi Vijayan Pinarayi Vijayan (; born 24 May 1945) is an Indian politician who has served as the List of chief ministers of Kerala, Chief Minister of Kerala since 25 May 2016. A member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), politburo ...

. Kurdish film maker Lisa Calan was awarded with the Spirit of Cinema award at the inaugural function in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Awards

*NETPAC Award: Best Malayalam Film – '' Musical Chair'' directed by Vipin Atley

IFFK 2020

The 25th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK 2021) was held in four legs from 10 February 2021 to 5 March 2021. It was held in four locations unlike its predecessors; Thiruvananthapuram,

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

Palakkad Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...

and

Thalassery Thalassery () (also called Tellicherry) is a city and municipality on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahe and Kozhikode. Thalassery municipality has a population of just under ...

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), G ...

received the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Jean Luc Godard, who pioneered the French New Wave film movement.

IFFK 2019

The 24th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK 2019) 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.

The Awards

* 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, Film score, score composer and politician. His films include; ''The Hour of the Furnaces, La hora de los hornos (The Hour of the ...

from Argentina * Audience Prize for Best Film – Jallikattu by Lijo Jose Pellissery * 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)'' * 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 from India * NETPAC Award: Best Malayalam Film – '' Veyilmarangal'' directed by Dr. Biju * NETPAC Award: Malayalam Film (Special Mention) – '' Kumbalangi Nights'' by Madhu C Narayanan * K R Mohanan Award for Best Debut Director from India – '' Aani Maani'' by Fahim Irshad

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.

The Awards

* The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best film – '' Otagh-e-Tarik'' directed by Rouhollah Hejazi from Iran * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director – Lijo Jose Pellissery for ''Ee. Maa. Yau.'' * 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. Yau.'' 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.

The Awards

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

Wajib ' () or ' () or fardh in Islam is a religious duty commanded by God. The word is also used in Turkish, Persian, Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, Bangla (''spelled farz or faraz''), and Malay (''spelled fardu or fardhu'') in the same meaning. Muslims wh ...

'' 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, Aiden and Ayden are anglicised versions of the Irish male given name ''Aodhán''. The Irish language female equivalent is ''Aodhnait''. Etymology and spelling The name is derived from the name ''Aodhán'', which is a pet form of '' Aod ...

'' 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

The Awards

* The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best film – '' Eshtebak'' directed by Mohamed Diab * 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 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 (civil engineering), shaft, utility vault, or large container, vessel. Manholes, typically protected by a manhole cover, are often used ...

'' 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 R. A ...

'' directed by Rajeev Ravi * NETPAC Award: Best Asian Film – '' Cold of Kalandar'' directed by Mustafa Kara

IFFK 2015

The 20th 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 19th IFFK
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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 for '' The Bright Day'' * FIPRESCI Award: Best Malayalam Film – '' Oraalppokkam'' 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 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 for '' The Bright Day'' * FIPRESCI Award: Best Malayalam Film – '' Oraalppokkam'' 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 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

. Renowned actress

Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi cinema, Hindi film industry has spanned Shabana Azmi filmography, over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist paral ...

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 t ...

and

Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese filmmaker who directed roughly 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), '' Ugetsu'' (1953), and ' ...

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 Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

's '' Charulata'' and

Mrinal Sen Mrinal Sen ( ; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was a Bengali film director and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali, and a few Hindi cinema, Hindi and Telugu cinema, Telugu language films. Regarded as on ...

's ''

Bhuvan Shome ''Bhuvan Shome'' is a 1969 Indian Hindi-language Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Mrinal Sen based on a Bengali story by Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay. The cast includes Utpal Dutt (Bhuvan Shome) and Suhasini Mulay (Gauri, a villa ...

''. 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. Spanish Filmmaker

Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (4 January 1932 – 10 February 2023) was a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. With Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be among Spain's great filmmakers. He had a long and prolific career th ...

was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Awards

* The Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best film – ''Parviz'' ( Majid Barzegar) * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Debut Film – ''Errata'' (Ivan Vescovo) * The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director – Kamaleswar Mukherjee ('' 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 ...

'' * 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 (31 October 1942 – 18 July 2023) was an Indian lawyer and statesman who served as the 10th chief minister of Kerala, serving from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He served also as the Leader of the Opposition, leader of the opp ...

with a special screening of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

'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. 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'' 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, French filmmaker Alain Resnais, the Japanese master filmmaker

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

, Brazilian actor Helena Ignez, British filmmaker

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 Deepa Mehta, (; born 15 September 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996 film), ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth (1998 film), Earth'' (1998), and ''Water (2005 film), Water'' (2 ...

's ''

Midnight's Children ''Midnight's Children'' is the second 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 pos ...

'' 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 and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...

'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, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

leaders said that the film portrayed former Indian prime minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

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 (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

and sympathy with

Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

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) * 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'' (

Arun Kumar Aravind Arun Kumar Aravind is an Indian film director, Film editing, editor and Film producer, producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. Biography Arun Kumar Aravind, was better known as the editor of director Priyadarshan, owns to his c ...

) * 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 regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Hindi cinema. She is serving as member of the parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party ...

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

Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...

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'' ( Ozcan Alper) *FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film – ''

Adaminte Makan Abu ''Adaminte Makan Abu'' () is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language social drama film written, directed and co-produced by Salim Ahamed. It stars Salim Kumar and Zarina Wahab, with Mukesh, Kalabhavan Mani, Suraj Venjarammoodu, and Nedumudi Ve ...

'' ('Abu, son of Adam') (

Salim Ahamed Salem Ahamed (born 6 July 1971) 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, ''Ad ...

) *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 with Indian actress Waheeda Rahman as the guest of honor.

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; né Stipetić; born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author. Regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema, his films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unusu ...

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

chose him for the award. The opening film was '' Please Do Not Disturb''. 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 filmmaker, music video and commercial director, author, and website producer. Dash received her Master of Fine Arts, MFA in 1985 at the UCLA Film School and is one of the graduates and filmm ...

, Mexican filmmaker Maria Novaro, Thai filmmaker

Apichatpong Weerasethakul Apichatpong Weerasethakul (; ; , born 16 July 1970) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, film producer and Professor at Tama Art University in Tokyo. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Apichatpong h ...

, Japanese filmmaker Yashuhiro Hariki and Indian screenplay writer and photographer Sooni Taraporevala. 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, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

, and showed films of

Olivier Assayas Olivier Assayas (; born 25 January 1955) is a French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Assayas is known for his eclectic filmography, consisting of slow-burning Period Piece Films, period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs, an ...

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

, 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 In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind. Zephyr may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional characters * Zephyr (comics), in the Marvel Comics univers ...

, 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 *FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film – '' Makaramanju'', directed by

Lenin Rajendran Lenin Rajendran 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. Career Beginning his film-making career as an assist ...

*NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film – "I Am—Afiya Megha Abhimanyu Omar", directed by Onir Anirban. *NETPAC Award for Best Malayalam Film – '' Veettilekkulla Vazhi'' (The Way Home), directed by Dr. Biju *Hassan Kutty Award for Best Debut Indian Film – ''

Chitrasutram ''Chitrasutram (The Image Threads)'' is a 2010 Malayalam film, written & directed by Vipin Vijay, produced by Altaf Mazid, Zubeen Ahmad, Sushanta Roy under the banner of Unknown Films. The film was also supported by Hubert Bals Film Fund, Rotte ...

'' directed by Vipin Vijay.

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).

Awards

Competition awards went to: *Suvarna Chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 1 million for Best film shared between: '' Darbareye Elly/About Elly'' (Iran) Director:

Asghar Farhadi Asghar Farhadi ( ; born 7 May 1972)Soureh Movie Database
is an Iranian ...

and ''Jermal /Fishing Platform'' (Indonesia) Director: Ravi Bharwani *Rajatha Chakoram and cash prize of Rs 300,000 for Best Director: Nosir Saidov for ''True Noon'' (

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

) *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 (Tajikistan) 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 is Mirabai Films. Among her films are '' Mississippi Masala'', '' The Namesake'', the Golden Lion–winning '' Monsoon Wedding'', ...

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

/ Harishchandra's Factory (Marathi) Dir:

Paresh Mokashi Paresh Mokashi (born 6 February 1969) is an Indian Film director, filmmaker, producer, actor and Theatre director-producer; working predominantly in Marathi cinema and Marathi theatre. He started working as a Theatre (structure)#Basic elements ...

IFFK 2008

The 13th International Film Festival of Kerala was held from 12 to 19 December 2008. The festival was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Kerala, V. S. Achutanandan. Argentinean filmmaker

Fernando Birri Fernando Birri (March 13, 1925 – December 27, 2017) was an Argentine film maker and theorist. He was considered by many to be the father of the new Latin American cinema. Biography Birri was born in Santa Fe, Argentina. After being involved in ...

and veteran actor K.R. Vijaya were the chief guests. The opening film of the festival was ''Laila's Birthday'', by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi. The eight-day long festival had 182 films from 53 countries. 14 films, including two

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...

s, were in the competition section. Lucia Murat (Brazil) headed the jury, which also consisted of Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran), Sitora Alieva (Russia), Allain Jalladeau (France) and Jabbar Patel (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, 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'' *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 Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

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

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

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

Manjadikuru ''Manjadikuru'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language 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 Malayala ...

'' (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 Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...

; Miguel Littin (Chilean director), MA Baby was the guest of honor. Other notable attendees included: the Minister for Cultural Affairs, state of Kerala; and actors

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He was notable in Indian parallel cinema and has starred in various international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfa ...

and

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...

. 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 and M.K. Arjunan, playback singer

S. Janaki Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely referred to as Janaki Amma and Nightingale of India(nightingale of South) . She is one of the greatest playback singers in the history ...

, art director S. Konnanad, actors

KPAC Lalitha Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha (10 March 1947 – 22 February 2022), was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in the Malayalam film industry. Considered one of the greatest actresses in the ...

, K. R. Vijaya, T. R. Omana, Santhadevi and makeup man Velappan. 231 films from 54 countries were screened at eight cinema halls in Thiruvananthapuram, 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 and August 2007. The jury consisted of Iranian filmmaker

Jafar Panahi Jafar Panâhi (, ) (born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is known internationally for his contributions to Iranian cinema and has received numerous awards at major film festivals, including the Palme d'Or ...

, African actor and director Naky Sy Savene, Polish scenarist Agnieska Holland, actor and producer

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'' *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 Events in Thiruvananthapuram 1996 establishments in Kerala Film festivals in Kerala Film festivals established in 1996