International Film Festival of Kerala Begins

Today 11th IFFK began. Though the inaugural function was held in the evening, the screening of the shows began at 9.00 in the morning. The first film was French Fried Vacation by Patrice Leconte. One word for it: CRAP. One might have seen n number of American movies like Screw Balls so on to the more famous British series like Carry On.. Wonder why such a film was kept and that too as the first film of such a prestigious event. The second and third were documentaries by Louis Malles. Though many were annoyed due to lack of subtitles still I felt both the movies were engrossing enough. The first one was Human Condition. It shows the condition of men and women working in a car manufacturing plant. Infact at times one wonder whether they are humans or just machines doing the same job again and again and again and again....phew. Great documentary. Second was even better one. The title is The Pursuit Of Happiness. It deals with the lives of people emigrated to USA both legally and illegally. People from almost every continent of the world was included. Though the narration was French, it hardly mattered as conversation between the interviewer and emigrants was in English. Another great documentary.
In the evening I attended the inaugural function. The function was held at Nisagandhi auditorium which is an open air auditorium. Filmmakers, actors and other people who were part of the early film making movement in Kerala were felicitated at this function by the Minister for Culture Mr. M A Baby. Later on a dance choreographed by Soorya Krishnamoorthy consisting of 250 artists showing various art forms of Kerala was shown.
After the felicitation ceremony, the inaugural film Songs of Sand by Marion Hansel was screened. The movie deals with the condition of people in remote war ridden African country. It begins with a tribal family moving out of their native place in search of water and the problems they face through the passage from the rebels and the soldiers and more importantly the hot desert. A touching movie and the applause it recieved from the jam packed auditorium said it all. Must watch movie.