Friday 7 December 2012

A Reminiscing Start to IFFK 2012

  Chief Minister Oommen Chandy inaugurated the 17th International Film Festival of Kerala at a glorious function held at Nishagandhi Open Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram. The Chief Minister said that iffk is being truly international by way of increasing participation of foreigners in the event. Cinema being leisure medium of common man, Government is all set to promote its progress.  The long pending demand of putting up a Film Complex in Thiruvananthapuram will soon be a reality, he added.

K B Ganesh Kumar, Minister for Cinema, Sports and Forest presided over. Shasi Tharoor, Central Minister of State for Human Resources Development released the Festival Book handing over a copy to Mayor  K Chandrika. Actor Mohanlal was the Chief Guest. Festival Jury Chairman Paul Cox and other jury members were also present. The function was attended by thousands of film lovers from across India and abroad.
     
       After the inaugural ceremony Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s silent movie ‘The Ring’ was screened. The film of the silent era was exhibited with a live background score performed by a special team of seven musicians led by noted jazz master Soweto Kinch. The live orchestration was a treat for the new generation who had never had this ‘silent on the screen and live on instruments’ experience. The Ring, released in 1927, is one of the silent films of the suspense master, which was restored by the British Film Institute as part their project of restoration of lost films. The live orchestration played to the silent movie after its restoration was performed in Britain only two weeks ago. Nishagandhi, has been re-molded into a theatre like that of 1920s. The organizers of IFFK took pride in roping in the event to India. The screening The Ring offered an exhilarating experience to the film lovers.         

With the opening of the festival more than 12 theatres in the city are screening 5 films a day, packed to the maximum.  A total number of 198 films from 51 nations across the world will enthrall more than 8,000 delegates. The competition section includes 14 films from Asia, Latin America and Africa, apart from four Indian films. Retrospective category comprises masterpiece films of six cinema maestros including Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock and Alain Resnais. In connection with the birth centenary of Malayalam actor Sathyan, a special exhibition on his illustrative career Kanakakunnu Place and Sathyan’s six remarkable films are also being screened.


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