THIRUVANANANTHAPURAM Eight films from Kerala, including two in the non-feature category, have been chosen for the Indian panorama section at the 51st edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa in January next year.
The four Malayalam feature films to be selected are Trance, Kettiyolaanu Ente Malakha, Thahira, Safe, and Kappela and Sanskrit language film Namo. The non-feature films are Oru Paathira Swapnam Pole and 100 years of Chrysostom - A biographical film, which has been made in English.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced 23 feature films and 20 non-feature films for the Indian panorama.
Trance, directed by Anwar Rasheed and starring Fahadh Faasil, is about the careful corporate strategies that go into the making of a spiritual leader, who is also coping with his own mental struggles. Kettiyolaanu Ente Malakha, directed by debutant Nisam Basheer, tackles the issue of marital rape.
Safe, directed by Pradeep Kalipurayath, revolves around a high-profile sexual abuse case. Thahira, directed by Siddik Paravoor, is the real life story of a woman who had struggled against several odds to succeed in life. Kappela, directed by debutant Muhammad Musthafa about the unexpected chain of events that follows when two long-distance lovers meet, has been included on the list of mainstream films. Namo, directed by Vijeesh Mani, is a Sanskrit language film with Jayaram in the lead, on the story of the mythological character Kuchela.
100 years of Chrysostm, directed by Blessy, is on the life of Philipose Mar Chrysostom, Metropolitan Emeritus of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar. The documentary, with a duration of more than 48 hours, is one of the longest such works ever. Oru Pathira Swapnam Pole is a Malayalam documentary directed by Sharan Venugopal. The IFFI, which is usually held in November annually, was postponed to January 16 to 24 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
