Don Palathara

Last updated

Don Palathara
Born
Don Chacko Palathara

(1986-08-22) 22 August 1986 (age 38)
Karunapuram, Kerala, India
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2015-present

Don Palathara (born 22 August 1986) is an Indian filmmaker from Kerala. [1] [2] [3] Known for working on small budgets, his films are expositions of local Kerala culture and studies on human nature. [1] [4] Palathara's films have gained accolades at several international film festivals, including those of Moscow, [5] Rotterdam [6] and Thiruvananthapuram. [7]

Contents

Early life

Don Palathara was born in Karunapuram, Idukki district, Kerala. [8] [9] He subsequently migrated to Sydney, Australia, where he received a diploma from the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television in Sydney, which was formerly known as the International Film School Sydney, before its merger with Actors College of Theatre and Television. [10] [11]

Career

Palathara had made several short films and documentaries, before venturing into feature films. [12] In 2015, his first feature film, Shavam , was released. Made on a small budget, the film was noted for its atypical filmmaking choices, as it was made entirely in black-and-white, used location recording of sound (unusual for Indian cinema), and featured a large number of inexperienced actors. [13] A satire exploring aspects of human character and set at a funeral, Shavam was well received in international film festivals, and garnered positive responses locally as well. [14] For its release, it was distributed using Kazhcha Film Forum's Cinema Vandi, an alternative film distribution mechanism. [15] [16] Later, Shavam streamed on Netflix and Mubi. [17]

In 2017, Palathara wrote, directed, produced, and edited his second feature, Vith . The movie was financed through crowdfunding platforms, including Kickstarter and from the proceeds of Shavam. [18] [19]

His next film, 1956, Central Travancore , was premiered at 2019 Moscow International Film Festival. [11] [20] [21] [22] In 2022, '1956, Central Travancore' bagged FFSI's John Abraham Award for the best film of 2020. [23]

In 2020, Palathara made the film Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam , featuring Rima Kallingal and Jitin Puthanchery, which is about an 85-min single-take car ride taken by a young journalist and an aspiring actor. [24] [25] This film was later nominated for Golden George for best film at the 43rd Moscow International Film Festival. [26]

His Everything Is Cinema, a relationship drama presented in first person narrative, featuring only Sherin Catherine had its premiere at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Cinema Regained section. [27] [28]

In 2023, he made Family, which stars Vinay Forrt, Divya Prabha, Nilja K Baby, Mathew Thomas, Sajitha Madathil etc. The film was an official selection at the 2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam. [29]

In 2023, BAFTA honoured Palathara along with nine other film professionals by selecting them for the breakthrough program in India. [30]

Filmography

Year(s)TitleDirectorProducerEditorWriterReference
2015 Shavam YesNoNoYes [1]
2017VithYesYesYesYes [1]
2019 1956, Central Travancore YesNoYesYes [1]
2021Everything Is CinemaYesYesYesYes [31]
2021 Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam YesNoYesYes [32]
2023 Family YesNoYesYes [33]

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Family is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed, written and edited by Don Palathara and co-written by Sherin Chatherine. The film premiered at the 52nd International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR) on 28 January 2023. The film was also screened at 14th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2023. The film is produced by Sanita Chittilappilly and Anto Chittilappilly through their production company Newton Cinema. It features Vinay Forrt, Divya Prabha, Abhija Sivakala, Nilja K Baby and Mathew Thomas in pivotal roles. It was theatrically released on 22 February 2024.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Don Palathara's Shavam, Vith And 1956, Central Travancore Are Observational Tracts Filled With Gorgeous "Human Landscapes"". Film Companion. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. ↑ "Don Palathara". nettv4u. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "Two movies by filmmaker Don Palathara to be screened at IFFK". The Week. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "Wanted to focus on the little things, says 1956, Central Travancore director Don Palathara". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. ↑ "Don Palathara's 1956, Central Travancore to premiere at MIFF". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Don Palathara's Everything is Cinema to premiere at Rotterdam festival". Times of India. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "Don Palathara's two upcoming films selected for 25th IFFK". Cinema Express. 25 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "Don Palathara Interviewed by Arun A.K." bomb magazine.
  9. ↑ "Vith". tao films – The art of film. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  10. ↑ "The International Film School Sydney is now known as AFTT".
  11. 1 2 Menon, Anasuya (2 August 2019). "The story of a people's psyche". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "Preview of Shavam on Saturday". The New Indian Express. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  13. ↑ Gopalakrishnan, Aswathy (7 August 2017). "Spirit At A Funeral: Indie Filmmaker Don Palathara's 'Shavam' Peeks Into A Grief-Stricken Family". Silverscreen.in. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  14. ↑ "ശവം - മരണവീടിന്‍റെ മരണഡോക്യുമെന്‍റേഷൻ". Samayam Malayalam (in Malayalam). 29 November 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  15. ↑ "Shavam, far from a lifeless affair". The Hindu. 26 November 2015. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  16. ↑ M.K, Nidheesh (19 March 2018). "'S Durga' makers to crowdsource screenings in Kerala". Livemint. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  17. ↑ "Award winning Malayalam film 'Shavam' by Don Palathara now streams in Netflix". The New Indian Express. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  18. ↑ "Don Palathara's Vith is built on the conflict". The New Indian Express. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  19. ↑ Shekar, Anjuna (28 May 2018). "Crowdfunding a dream". www.thenewsminute.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  20. ↑ Staff Reporter (5 November 2019). "Don Palathara's period movie selected for Film Bazaar". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  21. ↑ "Don Palathara's 1956, Central Travancore heads to Goa". Cinema Express . 19 November 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  22. ↑ "'1956, Central Travancore', Malayalam film on early migrants to Idukki, heads to MIFF". The Week. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  23. ↑ Staff Reporter (4 July 2022). "FFSI's John Abraham awards announced". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  24. ↑ "Don Palathara's next is Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam". Cinema Express. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  25. ↑ "Rima Kallingal, Jitin Puthanchery star in Don Palathara's new film". The New Indian Express. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  26. ↑ "JOYFUL MYSTERY :: Film catalogue :: Moscow International Film Festival". www.moscowfilmfestival.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  27. ↑ "Don Palathara's Everything is Cinema to premiere at Rotterdam festival". Times of India. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  28. ↑ "Don Palathara's 'Everything is Cinema' to be screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam". The News Minute. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  29. ↑ "Don Palathara's 'Family' set for world premiere at Rotterdam Int'l Film Fest". The New Indian Express. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  30. ↑ "BAFTA Announces Its Breakthrough 2023 Cohort Across India, UK and USA for the First Time". Netflix. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  31. ↑ "'Don Palathara's 'Everything Is Cinema' to premiere at International Film Festival of Rotterdam". The Week. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  32. ↑ "'Joyful Mystery'". IMDB. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  33. ↑ "Don Palathara's 'Family' set for world premiere at Rotterdam Int'l Film Fest". The New Indian Express. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
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