15th IFFK begins

The 15th International Film Festival Of Kerala IFFK,held at Thiruvananthapuram,was inaugurated on December 10. State Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan lit the inaugural lamp at the event that was also graced by personalities from different fields of activity. Veteran actress Waheeda Rahman,who was the chief guest,was felicitated by Cultural Affairs minister M.A.Baby while noted German director Werner Herzog was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award,and a book based on his life and films was also released.

The 15th IFFK,which ended on December 17,showcased 207 films from 83 countries. Over 120 film personalities from different countries participated in the festival,which began with the screening of the Iranian film Please Dont Disturb,directed by Mohsin Abdul Wahab at the Nishagandhi open-air auditorium.

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Poet,lyricist ONV Kurup,who won the Jnanpith award recently,was honoured at the inaugural ceremony,which also witnessed the official bulletin of the festival being presented by Mayor,Advocate K. Chandrika to the Kerala Film Producers Association General-Secretary Suresh Kumar. The festival catalogue was presented by Adoor Gopalakrishnan to the Cuban Ambassador in India,Miguel Angel Ramirez. Festival director Bina Paul introduced the jury members to the audience.

The one-week long festival was held at different venues in Thiruvananthapuram,including Kairali,Sree,Kalabhavan,New,Sree Kumar,Sree Vishakh,Ajanta,Sree Padmanabha,Dhanya and Remya theatres. Open forum discussions,face-to-face interactions and talks were part of the event.