Location | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala |
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Hosted by | Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi, Niv Art Centre |
Festival date | December |
Language | International |
Website | www |
The Kazhcha-Niv Independent Film Festival (KNIFF) is a film festival for independent cinema in India held annually in Thiruvananthapuram. The festival debuted in 2017, and is hosted by Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi, a local film society, in collaboration with Niv Art Centre, an Art and Cultural society in New Delhi. [1] The festival is held in December parallel to the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). [2]
The festival was launched to overcome the rejection process in the International Film Festival of Kerala. Director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan pulled his film, Sexy Durga , which had previously won Tiger Award in the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) from the Malayalam Cinema Today section of IFFK, and alleged that the festival was not giving due respect to independent films. [3] Following the incident, Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi announced the new festival. The first year of the festival was inaugurated by Anand Gandhi, the director of Ship of Theseus. [4] [5]
The 2017 edition presented Karie directed by Shanavas Naranippuzha, a Malayalam satire on caste, An Insignificant Man, Vith, Thooppu, Kothanodi, Ralang Road, The Golden Wing, Machines, Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani?, Juze, Ashwatthama, A Billion Colour Story, Turup, Samantharashramangal, Eight And A Half Intercuts: Life And Films Of K.G George and Richter Scale 7.6. [6]
The 2018 edition took Inclusion as its theme and was inaugurated by screenwriter and LGBTQ activist Apurva Asrani. Bird of Dusk, a documentary on Rituparno Ghosh by Sangeeta Datta who challenged gender boundaries with this life and work, was the opening film. [7]
Adoor Gopalakrishnan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film Swayamvaram (1972), Gopalakrishnan pioneered the new wave in Malayalam cinema during the 1970s. In a career spanning over five decades, Gopalakrishnan has made only 12 feature films to date. His films are made in the Malayalam language and often depict the society and culture of his native state Kerala. Nearly all of his films premiered at Venice, Cannes and Toronto International Film Festival. Along with Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, Gopalakrishnan is one of the most recognized Indian film directors in world cinema.
The International Film Festival of Kerala is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. The festival is held in November or December every year and is acknowledged as one of the leading cultural events in India.
Madhupal Kannambathu is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. Madhupal made his acting debut with Kashmeeram in 1994 and his directorial debut with Thalappavu (2008), which was about Naxal Varghese and won several awards in 2008.
Manjadikuru is a 2008 Malayalam film written and directed by Anjali Menon. A shorter video version of the film was premiered at the 2008 International Film Festival of Kerala, and won the FIPRESCI Award for best Malayalam film and Hassankutty award for Best Debutant Indian director. In 2009, it received awards at the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) at New York, winning five Grand Jury Awards - Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematographer and Best Emerging Talent.
Anjali Menon is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Anjali has won international, national and state awards for her work and is best known for her feature films Manjadikuru,Kerala Cafe(Happy Journey),Ustad Hotel, Bangalore Days, Koode and Wonder Women. She is counted among the change agents in Indian cinema whose work gets attention from the audience and the critics.
Bijukumar Damodaran, known mononymously as Dr. Biju, is an Indian homoeopathic doctor turned film director and screenwriter. He is best known for films such as Saira (2005), Veettilekkulla Vazhi (2010), Akasathinte Niram (2012), Perariyathavar (2013), Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal (2016), Sound of Silence (2017), Painting Life (2018) and Veyilmarangal (2019).
Venkiteswaran Chittur Subramanian is an Indian film critic, professor, documentary filmmaker, writer and occasional subtitler from Chalakudi, Kerala, India, who writes predominantly in English and Malayalam. He won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2009 and shared the National Film Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film with M.R. Rajan for directing the documentary film, Pakarnattam in 1995.
Adimadhyantham is a 2011 Malayalam film written and directed by debutant Sherrey and produced by P. Rasheed, starring Prajith and Sajitha Madathil in the lead roles. Adimadhyantham won a special mention award at the 59th National Film Awards. The film is yet to get a theatrical release, but received generally positive reviews in its premiere show. It was the only Malayalam film selected to compete in the 16th International Film Festival of Kerala, but was later ousted on technical grounds, and after a huge scandal, was included for a non-competition screening.
Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi or Kazhcha Film Forum is a film collective in Kerala, India. It started in the year 2001 at Neyyattinkara thaluk in Thiruvananthapuram district as a collective effort of film lovers. It has produced three short films. In the year 2013 the film society has been registered under the Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Registration Act, 1955.
Oraalppokkam is a Malayalam film written and directed by Sanalkumar Sasidharan. It is the first Malayalam movie which has been produced through online crowdfunding program. This is an initiative of Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi, a film society movement based in Thiruvananthapuram. Kazhcha has a history of producing short movies with the financial contribution from film lovers. Oraalppokkam is the fourth venture of Kazhcha. It is claimed that Oraalppokkam will be copyleft after 5 years from the date of release.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan is an Indian poet, lawyer, and filmmaker.
Jiji Panaparampil Joseph, also known as Jijimon Joseph is a location sound recordist, sound designer and film editor in Indian film industry. He won the first ever Kerala State Film Award 2014 for location sound recording for the film Oraalppokkam and the consecutive year for the film Ozhivudivasathe Kali in fraternization with Sandeep Kurissery. He has fashioned his film career collaborating on feature films and short films in Malayalam cinema.
Manesh Madhavan is an Indian cinematographer. He graduated from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.
Niv Art Centre is an Indian Art and Cultural Organisation in New Delhi, established in 2008. It is running an independent film festival in Kerala called Kazhcha-Niv Indie film Fest (KNIFF) along with Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi called (KNIFF).
Niv Art Movies is a film production company in New Delhi state, India established in the year 2008. Shaji Mathew, a Delhi based Malayali is the proprietor of the firm. It has produced 6 Malayalam films 5 out of the 6 films produced by the company are directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan
Jiju Antony is an Indian film director.
Don Palathara is a film director, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker from Kerala, India. Known for working on small budgets, his films are expositions of local Kerala culture and study on the human nature. Palathara's films have gained accolades at several international film festivals, including Moscow International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam and International Film Festival of Kerala.
Oru Rathri Oru Pakal is a 2019 Indian Malayalam film written and directed by Prathap Joseph, His fourth film as a cinematographer-director, is set and filmed in Shoranur and stars Yamuna Chungappalli and Mari in the lead roles. It references of honour killing.
Prathap Joseph is an Indian journalist, cinematographer and filmmaker.
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