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Of urban isolation: A still from Hou Hsiao-hsien’s ‘Flight of the Red Balloon.’

The countdown to the 12th International Film Festival of Kerala (7-14 December) has begun. The festival is young and growing, therefore it always has on offer something new for the film buff. Programming for the festival is often a tough task for the organisers, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, because the effort has always been to package the festival with good films that are must-sees and appeal to the film enthusiasts who throng the theatre.

“Every time we plan for the festival, the intention is to get good packages so that those who come do not feel let down. One happy news this time is that we have taken up two more theatres which naturally means more screenings and also better seating capacity,” says Beena Paul Venugopal, artistic director of the festival.

A constant irritant at every past festival held here has been that delegates have missed exceptional films because of restrictions imposed on the number of screenings. This is a situation we have to accept most often because sales agents do not permit more than two screenings, says Beena. Moreover, at a festival which screens over 200 films, the cineaste must be able to make his choices and be prepared to lose out on some of the good films because it is just not possible to see all.

Two directors of international repute Jiri Menzel (seven films) of the Czech New Wave and Pedro Almodovar (13 films) of Spain will be featured in the Retrospective Section. Seven films including ‘Closely Guarded Trains’ by Menzel who in his times had to refrain from making films due to the changed political scenario in country, will be screened here. Pedro Almodovar, who ranks among the major names in world cinema, has received a mixed response from his own country primarily due to the ambivalent attitude he held towards the land and what it stood for from time to time.

Notable presences in this fare are Cristian Mungui; ‘4months, 3 weeks and 2 days’ the recipient of the Palm d’Or, as well as Naomi Kuwase’s ‘The Mourning Forest,’ a winner of the Grand Prix runner-up prize this year at Cannes. Another pick of this year is Michael Winterbottom’s ‘Road to Guantanamo,’ which re-constructs the life in the United States and his comments give an inkling of what the maker stressed on, “What’s most shocking isn’t the torture or the shackling, it’s that Guantanamo Bay exists at all. I think it should be closed down…..”

The Competition Section draws which always draws crowds includes the latest films of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, ‘Naalu Pennungal’ and P.T. Kunhumuhammad’s ‘Paradesi.’ An array of talents from various segments of filmmaking is featured in this year’s Homage Section.

The assemblage includes Ingmar Bergman (‘Seventh Seal,’ ‘Cries and Whispers’), Michelangelo Antonioni (‘L’Avventura,’ ‘Red Desert’), Istvan Gal (‘Falcons’), Ousmane Sembane (‘Moolade’), Edward Yang (‘In Our Time,’ ‘That Day on the Beach’ and ‘The Terrorizers’) C.V. Sreeraman (‘Ponthenmada,’ ‘Purushartham,’ ‘Vasthuhara’), and K.K. Mahajan (‘Bhuvan Shome,’ ‘Khayal Gatha’).

While the Academy goes ahead with the festival, there are a few things that have to come from the large numbers that turn up at the festival.

Beena emphasises, “The aim should not be to merely watch a large number of films, it should also mean accepting the pace of the festival, respecting the space, being tolerant and willing to accept the other point of view and of course making the most of the presence of directors who have come with their films.”

While it moves ahead with every edition, there are new challenges ahead, says Beena. Sales agents have started evincing interest in the Festival, the Netpac has instituted the Netpac Award for the Best Malayalam Film from this year. The Festival is an event well-supported by the various agencies involved in the whole exercise.

And what matters most in all festivals applies here too, she adds, “We want filmmakers to be heard, and the audience has to learn to appreciate and cultivate a discipline which all must exercise if the viewing experience has to become meaningful,” she says.

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