CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates 29th International Film Festival of Kerala

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urges filmmakers to create diverse films reflecting social realities, cautioning against corporate influence on content.

Calling on filmmakers to create diverse films reflecting social realities to counter attempts to present a monolithic view, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has cautioned against attempts by corporates to dictate content. He was speaking after inaugurating the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) at the Nishagandhi auditorium here on Friday.

“It is natural that corporates will enter the film field, but if they exert pressure to create films aimed at propagating a particular narrative or films to suit their interests, it has to be viewed seriously. It will only lead to the destruction of cinema as a medium. Cinema has grown only when it has handled diverse subjects,” he said.

He said that the IFFK has forged ahead, becoming one of the festivals with strong political content. The festival had expressed solidarity with Palestine in its previous edition. In the one year since then, the situation there has worsened. The IFFK has always stood with the oppressed to bring their plight to the wider world, he said.

Mr. Vijayan presented the IFFK Lifetime Achievement Award for the year to Ann Hui, one of the pioneers of Hong Kong new wave cinema.

Ms. Hui, in her acceptance speech, said that she would like to share the award, the first lifetime achievement award that has been given to her, with the audience that has supported her films. “It is not just the filmmakers who need to be awarded. Those people who understand and encourage filmmakers to make more films also deserve one,” she said.

Mr. Vijayan also felicitated actress Shabana Azmi, the chief guest, on completing 50 years in cinema. Ms. Azmi, who recollected memories of taking part in the first edition of the IFFK, said that the festival continues to be one of the most important ones in India because of the audience’s taste for good cinema.

“Filmmaking is a collaborative medium. Actors get away with most of the accolades because their faces are in front of the camera. But it is because of the technicians behind the scenes, who are working to enhance our strengths and reduce our frailties that we are getting all the appreciation,” she said.