International Documentary And Short Film Festival Of Kerala To Conclude Without Closing Ceremony

The 16th edition of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival Of Kerala (IDSFFK) will draw its curtain today, July 31. The winners under the various categories will be presented with the awards today. The official closing ceremony has been cancelled after the government declared a two-day State mourning as a mark of respect to the people who lost their lives in Wayanad landslides. Due to this, as many as 30 films, including seven in the competition category will be screened today. The events which usually take place in the closing ceremony including seminars, Meet the Director, Face to Face and In Conservation have been called off.

Competing for the award in the long documentary section on the last day is Nirmal Chander Dandriyal’s 6-A Akash Ganga. The film presents a rare insight into the life of Annapurna Devi. Other films that will be screened are six short documentaries which will be competing for the awards. Four films that won international awards (in the festival winners package).

Another notable documentary film, The Mother of All Lies directed, written, produced, and edited by Asmae El Moudir will also be screened today. The film explores the director’s search for truth in her family background with a combination of personal and national history. It was Morocco’s official Oscar entry that won the best director award in the Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year.

Other films in this category are Lam Can Zhao’s A Summer’s End Poem which won the International Jury Best Short Film at the Berlin festival, Francisco Lezama’s An Odd Turn which won the Golden Berlin Bear this year and Eva Konnemann’s That’s All from Me which won a special mention at the 2024 Berlinale will also be screened today.

Three films are in the social justice category whereas one film from the newly added section ‘An Ode to Resilience: Tales from Palestine’ will be showcased to the audience. This new section speaks about the stories of the war-torn nation and the conditions of the people living there. A film by the critically acclaimed filmmakers Bedi Brothers and eight international documentaries and short films will also be screened today.