Two much-appreciated Malayalam movies – Ee. Ma. Yau. and Sudani from Nigeria – have been included in the international competition category of the upcoming International Film Festival of Kerala – the IFFK.
Twelve other Malayalam movies have been included in the Malayalam Cinema category of this year’s festival, which would be the 23rd edition of the IFFK.
These include O"ath, Parava, Bhayanakam, Udalazham, Mayaanadhi, Bilathikuzhal, Prathibhasam, Eeda, Kottayam, Humans of Someone, Sleeplessly Yours and Ave Maria.
Ee. Ma. Yau., a movie laced with dark humour, brought out a little explored genre in Malayalam. It comes from a man who doesn’t seem to tire of experimenting with cinema – director Lijo Jose Pellissery.
Sudani from Nigeria is one of those movies that can easily, effortlessly appeal to different kinds of audiences – the serious movie lover, the fun lover, the sentimental viewer et al. That it comes from a first time director – Zakariya – somehow made it more adorable.
It is unlikely that the IFFK would see a lot of controversy this time over the selection of Malayalam movies for the competition category. In recent years, movie makers had often had a problem with the film they believed deserved a place in the competition category, being put elsewhere.
Among the movies in the Malayalam Cinema category are also a few critically acclaimed or popular movies like Maayanadhi, Parava and Eeda. The others such as Humans of Someone will be highly anticipated since there has been a lot of build up for the movie, with its many characters and songs introduced through Facebook posts. Bhayanakam already has a laurel with the National Award coming its way this year. Bilathikuzhal involves a child who grows up with a certain fascination for guns. Udalazham tells the story of a man born in a tribal settlement in Nilambur. Binu Bhaskaran’s Kottayam is a thriller. Sleeplessly Yours by Goutham Soorya and Sudeep Elamon, Vipin Vijay’s Prathibhasam, Vipin Radhakrishnan’s Ave Maria, are others which have been included.