I finally got an opportunity to be a part of the International Film Festival Of Kerala (IFFK) as the festival was decentralised due to Covid-19 restrictions this year. The 25th edition of the festival was held at Thalasseri in February last week. I didn’t have huge expectations about the event as I knew nothing but the fact that I could watch movies back-to-back for a week, without any interruptions. But it turned out to be much more than that.
I was not super-excited when I applied. But the day before the inauguration, I had to undergo the Covid-19 test. I met a bunch of people who were the first of the many inspirations to follow. That was probably the first time I am meeting a group of strangers at Thalassery who are non-judgemental. As soon as I reached home after testing negative, I watched a few videos of the previous editions of the IFFK. I was amused to see the crowd and felt so bad about myself for being so ignorant about the festival all these years. The whole day I thought about it and thanked my tutor Irshad sir for introducing me to the event. I pampered the kit I received which included a cute cloth bag, booklet, schedule and ID card.
There was a relatively huge crowd on the first day at the Liberty cinema complex. I was late so I had to rush to my screen. My first movie was ‘The Night Of The Kings’. It was an African cinema and was a nice watch. Senna Hegde’s ‘Thinkalazcha Nishchayam’, my second movie on the first day, was so relatable to many of my major fears about life- if not every Indian woman’s fear- forced marriage with a stranger. The movie ended humorously sending out a strong message.
Let me take a moment to tell you that I am so proud that I watched Lijo Jose Pelliserry’s much-awaited “Churuli,” which is not released in theatres yet. The booking to the movie was so hastened and I managed to reserve my seat online somehow. It was an extraordinary movie and I was so into it. It is worth a theatre experience and don’t miss it when it comes to the cinemas.
I watched the movies alone- something that never happened to me before. And I decided to go to the cinemas singly in future too. That is a whole new experience.
Some movies screened at IFFK had nude scenes. I was astounded at the first time because I thought the movies would be pre-censored. I was not sure if I was ready to see all those visuals on a widescreen, amidst strangers. However, I was no longer that teen who giggles at such a moment. Suddenly, I started to recognize the purpose of such shots in the movie. They are there for a reason. But I may still feel awkwardness if I watch them with my family or friends.
To conclude, IFFK was an amazing experience. It helped me to broaden my views about society. I forgot all my problems when I was at IFFK and enjoyed the moment thoroughly. I also got chances to meet a lot of amazing people whom I would not have met otherwise. So many women with short hair and tattoos on their body. Without any men strangely staring at them. I wish to be as confident as those women, one day. IFFK also helped me understand that a movie is not just what we see, it’s a lot more than that. They introduced me to new worlds, new problems, new perspectives and new attitudes. I wouldn’t have known these if I hadn’t gone to IFFK.
I can’t wait for the next edition.
Site Title 