Biennale to showcase 7 films produced by novel fund-raising techniques

Debutant Malayalam directors’ works at Jan 2-8 segment of KMB Artists’ Cinema

Kochi, Dec 29: Come New Year, and the ongoing Kochi-Muiris Biennale (KMB) is set to lend Indian cinema a unique chapter. A 100-day film festival running parallel to KMB’14 will premier in Kerala seven movies that have been produced through unconventional crowd-funding and artistic support methods.

What’s more, six of the works in the series are by debutant Malayalam directors. The films, slated to be shown during January 2 and 8 at the main Aspinwall House venue as part of the Artists’ Cinema segment, are curated by noted critic and documentary filmmaker C S Venkiteswaran.

Kanyaka Talkies(Virgin Talkies) -Poster

Also all of them — ‘CR no 89’ by Sudevan, ‘Oralpokkam’ by Sanalkumar Sasidharan, ‘Dayom Panthrandum’ by Harshad P K, ‘Unto Dusk’ by Sajin Babu T A, ‘Chayilyam’ by Manoj Kana, ‘Kanyaka Talkies’ by KR Manoj and  ‘Zahir’ by Sidharth Siva — are made in digital. Their show will be held at the newly-built Umbrella Pavilion of the sea-facing Aspinwall complex, which displays more than two-thirds of the 100 main KMB’14 works by 94 artists from 30 countries including India.

Made in the last two years, these films have been screened at national and international film festivals. They have won national and state awards for best Malayalam and best debut films, but have not yet had a state-wide release. Thiruvananthapuram-based Venkiteswaran, 55, has clubbed them together under the theme ‘Capital and Cinema: Breaking the Circles’, noting “this is real new-generation filmmaking”.

“The filmmakers are trying to push the frontiers and create new aesthetics of filmmaking. They have produced these films outside and against mainstream commercial cinema norms,” said the national award-winning critic, who is a native of Chalakkudy in Thrissur district. Stating that KMB’14 is an “ideal platform” for their showing, he said it creates a dialogue between the local and global, where the audience can get a taste of contemporary cinema. “Here, films are not just a commercial product, but it is art.”

Among the seven, ‘Kanyaka Talkies’ was the opening film of the Indian Panorama at the 44th International Film Festival of India at Goa. At KMB’14, it will have an added feature: a video installation that featured in film will be shown during its screening.  “In that sense,” said Kanyaka Talkies director K R Manoj, “it is a complete screening and only a venue such as the biennale could offer me this opportunity.”

Dayom Panthrandum

KMB ’14 Programme Manager Bandhu Prasad pointed out that these set of films, shown as part of biennale’s 100-day festival, is “breaking” the commercial cinema set-up. “The filmmakers, all of whom will be present at the screening, have used different production and distribution methods,” he noted. “We are proud to mark the premiers of this talented bunch.”

M D NICHE - Media Consultants