Malayalam film 1956, Madhyathiruvithamkoor (Central Travancore), directed by Don Palathara, has been chosen for screening at the 42nd edition of the Moscow International Film Festival to be held in October. Films such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Swayamvaram and Venu’s Munnariyippu were screened at the festival in the past.
The film, set around themes of migration and human-animal conflict, is Don’s third work. He debuted in 2015 with Shavam, a dark satire set in a household where someone has died. He has continued with that experimental streak in his second film, Vithu, as well as the latest one.
According to Don, Moscow festival director Kirill Razlogov wrote that the film 1956, Madhyathiruvithamkoor “reminds us of the deep-rooted spiritual connections between India and Russia”.
“The film is related to the migrations in Idukki and surrounding regions, and set in the 1950s. It is about a group of people who are out for a hunt and the events that follow. At the core of the story are two brothers, Onan and Korah, and their relationship. But at the same time, the film also looks at a larger picture, of the thought process and psyche of the people of those times and of that region, and the believability of different narratives,” Don told The Hindu.
Black and white tone
Just like his previous two films, Don has chosen a black and white tone for 1956, Madhyathiruvithamkoor. “For any of these films, choosing to do it in black and white was not a conscious decision. While shooting Shavam, I felt that monochrome fits the realistic treatment of that film. Deep focus and black and white tone gives much more freedom to the viewer in where to focus,” he says.
The Moscow festival was supposed to happen in April, but got postponed owing to COVID-19. Now, when it is held in October, the organisers plan to have physical screenings, unlike the online screenings at most film festivals these days.
Meanwhile, Don has almost completed one more film titled Everything is Cinema, another experimental work.
