MUMBAI: Yesteryear actress Waheeda Rehman will inaugurate the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) that begins 10 December at Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will also be present on the occasion.
IFFK Chairman and the festival director K.R. Mohanan told reporters that the actress will be the chief guest for the festival, while renowned German filmmaker Werner Herzog would be the guest of honour.
‘The eight-day long festival, organised by Kerala State Chalachithra Academy (KSCA), will have as many as 14 films from Asia, Africa and Latin America that will compete for the top awards. The best film will be presented with the Suvarna Chakoram award and a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million.
Rajata Chakoram and a cash prize of Rs 400,000 will go to the best director and a Rajata Chakoram and Rs 300,000 will go to the best debut filmmaker. In addition to this, a Rajata Chakoram and Rs 200,000 would be awarded as the audience prize.
Mohanan further said that the festival will screen a retrospective of filmmaker Rainer Fassbinder, while T.V. Chandran will be the Malayalam filmmaker in focus along with other films from Central Asia and those made by Black American filmmakers.
This year‘s Oscar winners A.R. Rehman, Resul Pookutty and Gulzar will be honoured at the fest.
