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.
Gayatri Das known professionally as Geetu Mohandas is an Indian former actress and director known for her works in Malayalam cinema. In 2013, she directed the socio political film Liar's Dice which has received two National Film Awards, was premiered at Sundance Film Festival, and was chosen by the Government of India as India's entry for the U.S. 87th Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars.
Ore Kadal is a 2007 Malayalam-language film written and directed by Shyamaprasad. The film is based on Sunil Gangopadhyay’s Bengali novel Hirak Deepthi. The film examines the extra-marital relationship between an intellectual economist and a housewife. It stars Mammootty, Meera Jasmine, Narain and Ramya Krishnan.
Shyamaprasad is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor from Kerala.
Anjali Menon is an Indian film director 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.
Margam is an Indian film co-written, directed and produced by Rajiv Vijay Raghavan under the banner of Image commune. The film is an adaptation of Pithrutharppanam, the famous story by M. Sukumaran. Margam won seven major Kerala State Film Awards from the government of Kerala and one National Film Award from the government of India in 2003. One of the rarest Malayalam films that received wider critical acclaim at international level, Margam was exhibited at 16 international film festivals and won six international awards in categories including best film and scripting. The script was co-written by Rajiv Vijay Raghavan, Anvar Ali and Dr. S P Ramesh. Cinematography was by Venu and the roles performed by Nedumudi Venu and Meera Krishna were also widely appreciated.
Adaminte Makan Abu is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language social drama film written, directed and co-produced by Salim Ahamed. It stars Salim Kumar and Zarina Wahab, with Mukesh, Kalabhavan Mani, Suraj Venjarammoodu, and Nedumudi Venu in supporting roles. The cinematography was handled by Madhu Ambat. The film features songs composed by Ramesh Narayan and score by Isaac Thomas Kottukapally. The film tells the story of a poor attar seller Abu (Kumar) whose only remaining wish in life is the Hajj pilgrimage, which he strives hard to fulfill.
Ee Adutha Kaalathu is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy crime film written by Murali Gopy and directed by Arun Kumar Aravind. The film marks the second directorial venture by Arun Kumar Aravind, after his notable directorial debut Cocktail (2010). Kerala State Award winning cinematographer Shehnad Jalal handled the camera.
Beautiful is a 2011 Indian Malayalam musical drama film written by Anoop Menon and directed by V. K. Prakash. The film stars Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, and Meghana Raj in the lead roles. The cinematography was by Jomon T. John and the music was composed by Ratheesh Vegha. It tells the story of the intense bonding of two friends, one quadriplegic and the other a musician. The film was released on 2 December 2011 to predominantly positive reviews and was a commercial success.
Salem Ahamed is an Indian film director, screen writer and producer. After working for a long time as a travel consultant, he joined as a creative director and script writer in a television channel. His directorial debut, Adaminte Makan Abu (2011), fetched him numerous accolades and was screened at various international film festivals. It was also chosen as India's official entry to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category for the 84th Academy Awards. Then he made two movies Kunjananthante Kada (2013) and Pathemari (2015) with Mammootty as the lead. The latter won the Best Feature Film In Malayalam award at the 63rd National Film Awards. Salim's latest film is And the Oscar Goes To...(2019), which tells about his own experiences with the production and marketing of his first film.
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.
Akasathinte Niram is a 2012 Malayalam film written and directed by Dr. Biju. The film was shot entirely on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with a cast that includes Indrajith, Nedumudi Venu, Amala Paul and Prithviraj. The film revolves around a burglar who is trapped on a scarcely populated island and his getting to understand how nature blends with life. It premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2012. It was subsequently screened at various film festivals where it received several honours.
Ozhimuri is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language period drama film, directed by Madhupal, written by Jeyamohan, and starring Lal, Mallika, Asif Ali, Bhavana, and Shwetha Menon in lead roles. The original songs and background score were composed by Bijibal. The film opened to critical acclaim but did not fare well at the box office. It was an official selection in the Indian Panorama section of the 43rd International Film Festival of India. It is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the Malayalam New Wave.
Ithramathram is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by K. Gopinathan from a screenplay adapted from Kalpatta Narayanan's novel of the same name. The film takes a closer look into the life of a 38-year-old woman living in a sleepy village in Wayanad, on her death, from the memories of a few persons who were part of her life. The film stars Biju Menon, Swetha Menon and Malavika in pivotal roles. The film was released on 14 September 2012 to mixed reviews. It won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film at the 17th International Film Festival of Kerala.
Joy Mathew is an Indian film and theatre actor. He is also a film director, playwright and screenwriter. He predominantly works in Malayalam cinema.
Lailaa O Lailaa is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language action spy film directed by Joshiy. It stars Mohanlal and Amala Paul alongside a supporting cast of Sathyaraj, Joy Mathew, Sreerag Nambiar, Rahul Dev and Kainaat Arora. Bollywood screenwriter Suresh Nair debuted in Malayalam as writer in the film. The original soundtrack and background score were composed by Gopi Sunder.
Bangalore Days is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language coming of age romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Anjali Menon, and produced by Anwar Rasheed and Sophia Paul under the banner Anwar Rasheed Entertainments and Weekend Blockbusters. The film features an ensemble cast of Dulquer Salmaan, Nivin Pauly, Fahadh Faasil, Nazriya Nazim, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Isha Talwar and Paris Laxmi, with Nithya Menen in a cameo appearance.
Sufi Paranja Katha is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Priyanandanan based on K. P. Ramanunni's novel with the same title. Ramanunni himself wrote the story, screenplay, and dialogues for the film. Thampi Antony, Prakash Bare, and Sharbani Mukherjee did the main roles in this film. The film has been distributed by Central Pictures. It is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the Malayalam New Wave.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan is an Indian poet, lawyer, and filmmaker.
Manhole is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Vidhu Vincent, depicting the life and struggles of a manual scavenger's daughter. The film was adjudged the Best Film of the year 2016 by the jury for the Kerala State Film Awards 2016 and the director of the film was selected as the Best Director of the year 2016. This made Vidhu Vincent the first woman to win the Best Director Award in the history of Kerala State Film Awards since its inception in 1969. According to jury chairman Apurba Kishore Bir, Manhole was the unanimous choice among the jury members for convincingly bringing the plight of the marginalised on screen.
