Rush, long queues, running between theatres, discussions, opinions, emotions, applause, recognition and at last the much awaited “Suvarna Chakoram” ……Yes, Yet another IFFK bids adieu…For those in the capital city and for those movies are life, the one week extravagant film festival means a lot, a lot beyond the rush and hush for a commercial hit and a lot beyond what is movie for a lay man. Like any other year, this time too IFFK staged varied performers, it became the platform for hard core discussion on movies, it became a forum for cultural and ideological give and take, and an inspiration for those who just stepped in into the mesmerizing world of cinema. For the pioneers , it meant getting wonder struck by the impeccable works of the great maestros ( retrospective ), deriving confidence and also elevating themselves to the standards of world class movies. For the youth, it was celebration but for the uninteresting “budhijeevis” (as we dearly call them ), it was reverberation of the nuanced philosophy of human life and of rebirth of “romanticism”. For film lovers it was plethora of colors unveiling and for critics it was painting their figures in a wider canvas. For the skippers of the movies it meant struggling and fasting for their movies, sharing their ideas, sharing their concerns, and feeling the content of applause. And for yet another ilk it had much of a “social” coloring. It was where they discussed contentious issues – moral policing, attitude towards and portrayal of sex , which have caused an eye brow raise among the hind runners of the so called “civilization and morality” . What so ever, it could hardly be possible to be not part of it, for the media were at no dearth for news to fill in; thanks to the organizers.
But beyond all these experiences, what IFFK or any other International Film Festival offers for the film world and the society at large would be an interesting preposition to think about. In that regard, IFFK has offered much to Malayalam Cinema. One repeated theme that was over heard through out the festival is the plight of Malayalam movies. The muddle around “Aadhimadhyandham” and the disappointments regarding the poor theater facilities itself are shadows of a looming crisis. It was for the first time that the festival is not hosting a Malayalam movie in the competition category. But,at the same time the recognition “Aadaminte makan Abu” won and the applause for movies like “traffic” shows the changing course of our movie world. The move to market Malayalam movies also offers hope. The Indian movies like “Aadukalam”, “Delhi in a day”,”I want to be a mother” etc helped appease the complaint on Indian movies not striking world standards. Yet, the reality remains bitter. We still have a lot of work in hand.
The stark contrast between the colorful and the colorless world is something one could experience only at such an arena. It is from such an intellectual turf that some of the most brilliant movies were born. Who doesn’t know how many great film makers IFFK might give birth to??
In yet another level and most importantly the global platform it offers is worth the pains taking effort behind the screens. To see our movies from an outsider’s shoe and to look for out of the box solutions is possible nowhere else. When we get to know the culture of various nations, it is not just that they often become an eye opener for innovative film making but also it reminds us that there are shared concerns and shared crisis which blurs global boundaries and we need to look at them from a collective perspective. It’s not just a place for the film makers but for all of us to look at the world. Screening of movies on the Arab spring, surrogacy and many such issues in the political and social fore became true depiction of this.
Festivals are places where not only new ideas come in but also where ideas are shaped. It’s where culture moves forward, it’s where we see the efforts to bridge cultural lag taking place. Morality, Sex, Art, Civilization, Values, Artistic privacy – everything of the kind is discussed both openly and subtly.
It’s also a place of remembrance and homage when you go back to the works of our great masters all over the world who helped this industry grow and be by itself a form of art that is so dear to our hearts. And by and large it’s a place where film makers grow, through the recognition they get, through the applause they receive and at times through the struggles they cope up with while at the festival.
Festivals help you appreciate life and at the same time remind us many things- they show what we haven’t seen, they show what we have forgotten to see, and they show what we ought to see.
So if you think that you are too much for this world or feel your’s is too paltry a life, its of no loss that you spend some 400 bucks for your delegate pass.
But beyond all these experiences, what IFFK or any other International Film Festival offers for the film world and the society at large would be an interesting preposition to think about. In that regard, IFFK has offered much to Malayalam Cinema. One repeated theme that was over heard through out the festival is the plight of Malayalam movies. The muddle around “Aadhimadhyandham” and the disappointments regarding the poor theater facilities itself are shadows of a looming crisis. It was for the first time that the festival is not hosting a Malayalam movie in the competition category. But,at the same time the recognition “Aadaminte makan Abu” won and the applause for movies like “traffic” shows the changing course of our movie world. The move to market Malayalam movies also offers hope. The Indian movies like “Aadukalam”, “Delhi in a day”,”I want to be a mother” etc helped appease the complaint on Indian movies not striking world standards. Yet, the reality remains bitter. We still have a lot of work in hand.
The stark contrast between the colorful and the colorless world is something one could experience only at such an arena. It is from such an intellectual turf that some of the most brilliant movies were born. Who doesn’t know how many great film makers IFFK might give birth to??
In yet another level and most importantly the global platform it offers is worth the pains taking effort behind the screens. To see our movies from an outsider’s shoe and to look for out of the box solutions is possible nowhere else. When we get to know the culture of various nations, it is not just that they often become an eye opener for innovative film making but also it reminds us that there are shared concerns and shared crisis which blurs global boundaries and we need to look at them from a collective perspective. It’s not just a place for the film makers but for all of us to look at the world. Screening of movies on the Arab spring, surrogacy and many such issues in the political and social fore became true depiction of this.
Festivals are places where not only new ideas come in but also where ideas are shaped. It’s where culture moves forward, it’s where we see the efforts to bridge cultural lag taking place. Morality, Sex, Art, Civilization, Values, Artistic privacy – everything of the kind is discussed both openly and subtly.
It’s also a place of remembrance and homage when you go back to the works of our great masters all over the world who helped this industry grow and be by itself a form of art that is so dear to our hearts. And by and large it’s a place where film makers grow, through the recognition they get, through the applause they receive and at times through the struggles they cope up with while at the festival.
Festivals help you appreciate life and at the same time remind us many things- they show what we haven’t seen, they show what we have forgotten to see, and they show what we ought to see.
So if you think that you are too much for this world or feel your’s is too paltry a life, its of no loss that you spend some 400 bucks for your delegate pass.
