The 16th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy will begin on July 26 with Minister for Local Self-Governments and Excise M.B. Rajesh inaugurating the event at Kairali Theatre here.
The Minister will present the Lifetime Achievement Award for impactful contributions in the documentary field to the Bedi Brothers (Naresh Bedi and Rajesh Bedi). The award consists of โน2 lakh, memento, and certificate.
Chalachitra academy chairperson Ranjith will deliver the opening speech. Mayor Arya Rajendran will unveil the festival book, presenting it to fiction category jury chairperson Urmi Juvekar. Shaji N. Karun, chairperson, Film Development Corporation, will release the daily bulletin.
Opening film
After the ceremony, Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, directed by Raoul Peck, will be screened as the opening film.
As many as 335 films from 54 countries will be screened during the six-day festival at the Kairali Sree Nila theatre complex. As many as ย 31 documentaries and 18 fiction short films will be screened in the focus categories.
In the focus short documentary category, 24 films will be screened in various languages such as Marathi, Bengali, Hindi, Santhali, Odia, Kannada, Tamil, Assamese, and Sylheti. These films explore a range of issues such as womenโs lives, drought, mining, peopleโs movements etc. The category also includes an animated film, Black Clay (2023) by Riah Taipodia, about the black terracotta pottery of Meghalaya.
The 18 films in the focus short fiction category explore diverse genres like fantasy, mystery, crime, and comedy. This category includes films in varied languages such as Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Konkani, and Punjabi.,
Unique films
As many as 15 films will be screened as part of the Malayalam non-competition section. This includes two long documentaries, seven short documentaries, and six short films. The Malayalam short fiction will showcase six unique films that capture the beauty and agony of life.
Thirty-two films have been included in the international non-fiction category and 57 films will be screened in the fiction category. The films explore multiple genres, geographies, and political perspectives through innovative storytelling devices. Included in the international non-fiction category are 32 documentaries which delve into a multitude of topics such as womenโs freedom, wildlife conservation, environment, war and social order. Films in 23 languages will be screened, including those in Spanish, French, Arabic, and Portuguese.ย
The festival will also feature a special category, showcasing eight music videos from across the country. These videos will be screened over two days, July 27 and 28, at the Nila Theatre.
