Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation hosts virtual screening of Malayalam classic Kummatty

The 1979 children’s film was directed by legendary filmmaker Aravindan.
Screengrabs from Kummatty
Screengrabs from Kummatty
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 A restored version of the 1979 Malayalam classic Kummatty will be screened by Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation (TFF), the filmmaker has announced. The Aravindan Govindan-directed film is being showcased in The Film Foundation Restoration Screening Room, a free virtual space that presents restored versions of old films, Scorsese said in an Instagram post on Monday.

"KUMMATTY (India, 1979, d. Aravindan Govindan) will be presented in The Film Foundation Restoration Screening Room. Tune in at 7:00pm BST/ET/PT for the screening accompanied by a live chat. The film will also be available on demand at 7:00pm local time," the multiple Oscar winner wrote alongside a number stills from the movie.

The Film Foundation is a non-profit organisation, which was founded by Scorsese in 1990, and it works with archives and studios to restore and preserve films from all over the world. Kummatty was restored by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur's Film Heritage Foundation, and Cineteca di Bologna at L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in association with General Pictures and the family of Aravindan Govindan, Scorsese said in the post.

The funding for the restoration was provided by the Material World Foundation, he added. The Malayalam film follows a magician, named Kummatty, who travels from place to place and entertains children with dancing, singing and performing magic. During one such performance at a village, Kummatty turns a group of children into animals.

The film was also screened at International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) earlier this year. Ashok Unnikrishnan, who played the child protagonist in the 1979 Malayalam film, told TNM earlier, “I don’t have a vivid memory of those days. I did remember the story, but watching it now brings back more clarity. Back in the day, we didn’t appreciate all those shots. But now I know this is a great work of art. The story is set in a remote village, not very connected with the outside world. It brings the feeling of the rustic surroundings, the scenery, the songs and all.”

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