The fifth day of the International Film Festival of Kerala saw several lively interactions between veteran filmmakers and delegates, along with star-studded moments. It was also marked by screening of several movies and cultural activities at various venues of the festival. Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's arrival at the Ariesplex theatre for the screening of his film 'Kennedy' was the highlight of the day with several delegates queuing up to take a selfie with the actor. The director also held a Question and Answer session after the film screening, where he spoke about the movie.
Several Malayalam movies, including Thadavu, B 32 to 44, Aattam, Moha and Kaathal The Core were streamed. However, a scuffle broke out between the delegates and the Kalabhavan theatre officials, where director Shruti Sharanyam's film B 32 Muthal 44 Vare was screened. A few delegates threatened to boycott the film festival, saying they were being denied access to good films. 'B 32 Muthal 44 Vare' has received a lot of good reviews at theatres. "Since the movie is not screening on OTT platforms, we don't have access to watch the film elsewhere," said Neethu S, a delegate.
However, theatre officials said they could not accommodate more people at the theatre, which only has the capacity to accommodate 410 people. "Unlike other theatres, the screen at Kalabhavan is located below the ground level. There are a lot of risk factors involved. We do not want to take any risk. The Cusat stampede occurred due to overcrowding. Air circulation will be a problem too," said Shaji Kumar, manager of KSFDC owned Kalabhavan theatre.
Meanwhile, Separate sessions, including an 'Open forum' and 'Meet the Directors' were also held with several prominent filmmakers in attendance. A Masterclass by Paradise director Prasanna Vithanage was also held on the day.
