Friday saw the curtains come down on the 20th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) with R Jayaraj’s “Ottaal” (The Trap/Malayalam) sweeping all the top awards, a first in the history of the 20-year old film festival.
Delivering the key-note address, Kerala Governor P Sathasivam termed Kerala as not just God’s Own Country but “the favourite foster land of a variety of arts.”
“Ottal” is the first Malayalam movie to bag the Suvarna Chakoram (Golden Crow Pheasant), FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics), NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) and the Audience Poll awards – four in all – for the best feature film screened at IFFK in Thiruvananthapuram.
The lead actors of the movie with its ‘strong cinematic language’ too won a special mention for their authentic performance.
Filipino director Jun Robles Lana’s film “Shadow Behind the Moon” won him the Rajata Chakoram for the Best Director, while the Bengali movie “Jalaler Golpo” got its director Abu Shahed Emon the Best Debutant Director Award.
The NETPAC Best Asian Film Award was won by Israeli film “Yona”.
Avant garde Malayalam film-maker KG George was conferred with the inaugural FEFKA (Film Employees Federation of Kerala) Master’s Award.
“Ozhivu Divasathe Kali” (An Off-Day Game) by Sanalkumar Sasidharan bagged the FIPRESCI Award for the Best Malayalam Film. Sanal’s debut movie “Oraalpokkam” had earlier got him the State Award for the Best Director.
Fourteen films from 11 countries -including four Indian movies- were competing for the top honours.
This edition of the IFFK featured nearly 180 movies handpicked from 64 countries.