Day 2, 12th International Film Festival of Kerala

Trivandrum, Dec 8th

Got my goodies and the photo Id in the morning before the morning show at Kalabhavan.The film festival has grown in the recent years, but this 12th International is “Godzillian” by standards.

The schedule booklet that comes with the delegate pass is 320 pages big, its kind of an almanac of cinema for the recent years (and its free!) .From 4 theatres back in ’02 now we have 9 theatres including New, Dhanya-Remya and Ajantha. The number of movies screened has gone up from 40 odd movies to 230. And if this second Saturday of the month is anything to go by, the delegate participation is huge with almost all shows hoarding a house-full board.

The icing on the rumor cake is that Goa had 3000+ delegates for India International and Trivandrum has 8000+ delegates for Kerala International. The hype might wane in the working week, but surely a tremendous start.

My movies of the day:

9 AM, Kalabhavan, Jiri Menzel Retro

Snowdrop festival/Slavnosti Snezenek
(Czechoslovakia/Czech/83’/1984)
dir:Jiri menzel

It’s a jolly movie. It’s set in

Bohemia, as if it exists and all the guys are crazy about hunting. A pig gets hunted down by Village A guys in a school which belongs to both Village A and Village B, but the hunting grounds of which belong to Village B alone. And finally both the rival gangs party on the pig. Jiri Menzel, this is his first movie I’m watching, tells a very simple story. It’s real hard to keep a story simple. Character portrayals are given their own time with some very nice jokes, maybe that’s why Jiri Menzel is called a master. I was able to laugh out a few times despite the worst possible distraction near by. All in all it’s an OK movie for a jolly morning.
 

11: 30 AM, Kalabhavan, Pedro Almodovar Retro

All about my mother
(Spain /France/Spanish / Catalan / English/101′ /1999)
dir: Pedro almodovar

If another FMF tells you that there is nothing called good cinema, you could show Pedro Almodovar’s “All about my mother” and say “this is! This is Good cinema”. The Oscar winning Spanish movie stands out in three aspects; Emotions ““ there is every possible emotion running through the 101 minutes; its Brave ““ crammed in it, are some very basic fears like death and the movie faces it with maturity; Colorful ““ like Spanish culture, like fiesta, the movie is collage of contrast. Every shot resembles a painting, Cecila Roth and Penelope Cruz wear red overcoats (I repeat “Penelope Cruz in a red overcoat”!) against a dry background. Even the poorest of neighborhoods look like a Picasso painting. Almodovar is seriously good and the festival has his biggest collection ever screened in India.  “All about my mother” ““ FIVE STARS. Movie repeats Thursday 9 AM at New Theatre.

cruz.jpg

3 PM, Kripa, World Section

Pan’s Labyrinth
Dir:guilermo tel Torro
Mexico/spanish/110mins/2006

Pan’s Labyrinth is the goriest movie I have seen in the recent past. Half of the audience had their eyes half closed for half of the time. I didn’t close my eyes. Promise. I remember skipping this movie when it released in the US, thinking it was “potteresque” fantasy. pl.jpgThe movie is raw and imaginative. It does not console you for a second; you have to face it. The three Academy Awards it won last March just adds to the luster. Definite watch!

Today’s Misses: “4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days“ – the Cannes winner. Ajanta was houseful and I’m hearing folks stood and watched the movie. But “All about my mother” was worth the time.
P.S : IFFK Schedule is available for download here