The sixth day of the International Film Festival of Kerala resonated with the vibe of the previous days. A master class on 'Evolution of Female Stature and Sexuality in Indian Cinema', which was moderated by Indian actor Namita Lal, was the highlight of the day.
IFFK special curator Golda Sellam, 'B 32 Muthal 44 Vare' filmmaker Shruthi Saranyam, journalist-documentary filmmaker Swetha Bajaj, actor-model Anupriya Goenka and filmmaker Jayan K Cherian were the panellists, which was attended by a group delegates who actively participated in the discussions. The panellists also spoke about the struggles women filmmakers undergo, while also maintaining it is important for men and women to collaborate equally to create films.
The Meet the Director session, which was held at the Tagore Theatre venue, was attended by Lubdhak Chatterjee, director of 'Whispers of Fire and Water', Felipe Carmona, director of Prison in the Andes, Tatiana Graullera producer of 'Totem', Visvesh Singh Sehrawat producer of 'Bahadur the Brave', Srijit Mukherji, director of 'Padatik' and Shokir Kholikov, director of 'Sunday'.
Manipuri film director Haobam Paban Kumar, who helmed 'Joseph's Son,' spoke about communal issues in his state and the country and warned that it would split the people into fragments. Paban Kumar also spoke about the current situation in Manipur connecting with his film. "Manipur is a mini India. Every community there wants to acquire their land. People are struggling because of the communal issues," he explained.
An Open Forum discussed the role of social media in film reviewing. Pierre Simon Gutman, IFFK jury member, stressed the need to review good films on OTT platforms that lack widespread reach. Melis Behlil, another jury member, highlighted the disappearance of small films amid the criticism of big productions, while N Vidyashankar pointed out that social media not only hosts reviews but also facilitates discussions where diverse opinions can be expressed.
Meanwhile, voting for the popular film, began on Wednesday morning and will close at 2.30 pm on December 15. As many as 14 films from the competition category have been considered for voting. Delegates can vote for the films via the academy’s official website, mobile application or SMS.
