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With the global success of Lijo Jose Pellissery’s ‘Jallikattu’ (2019), contemporary Malayalam cinema can boast of pushing the boundaries of conventional cinema, and filmmakers from the region with unique storylines are becoming more the norm than the exception in the film industry, which could now proudly declare to the world its creative dominance. But if we trace the history, the rich tradition of quality and thought-provoking filmmaking practices in Kerala has always been prevalent.

When the so-called parallel filmmaking movement was thriving in our nation, filmmakers from Kerala played a crucial role in enriching the culture of such creative endeavors. One such filmmaker was Adoor Gopalakrishnan, whose debut feature film Swayamvaram heralded the New Wave in Kerala. He is often described as Satyajit Ray’s worthy successor and regarded as India’s most distinguished art-house filmmaker. His filmmaking style usually involves long takes and prolonged moments of silence that help...

Slumdog Millionaire was a massive hit for director Danny Boyle, and it helped put star Dev Patel on the movie map. But Boyle wouldn't direct it today, he has revealed.

It's not because of the quality of the movie, but rather because Boyle feels the job should have gone to an Indian director instead. After all, the film is set in India and is about Indian people. “We wouldn’t be able to make that now,” he told The Guardian while promoting his new film28 Years Later. “And that’s how it should be. It’s time to reflect on all that. We have to look at the cultural baggage we carry and the mark that we’ve left on the world.”

From there, the conversation became about British colonialism. Asked if he felt the film was a product of that, Boyle answered, “No, no. Well, only in the sense that everything is.

“Reeling,” Yana Alliata’s striking debut, greets us with a single, fluid take that guides Ryan (Ryan Wuestewald) across his family’s O‘ahu estate. The shot’s patient choreography—reminiscent of the long takes in Satyajit Ray’s Charulata or Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s early work—invites us into Ryan’s fractured world as he rediscovers faces and places made strange by haunting gaps in his memory. The luau’s sunlit warmth and rhythmic beat of drums evoke the communal rituals of Bollywood’s colorful crowd scenes, only here they underscore a growing dissonance: laughter and volleyball amid an undercurrent of isolation.

Much like the parallel cinema of India, which privileged human struggle over spectacle, “Reeling” blends scripted drama with improvised moments drawn from Alliata’s real-life friends and family. The result is a palpable authenticity—every roasted pig and whispered greeting feels rooted in genuine emotion. Over a lean 70 minutes,...

Here’s Why Kamal Haasan Didn’t Write Virumaandi Costar Abhirami A Recommendation Letter (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Actress Abhirami, who is making a comeback to the film industry after a hiatus, opened up about her decision to step away from films to pursue academics in the United States. She wanted to study Psychology and Communications and, during the filming of Virumaandi, applied to the College of Wooster in Ohio. According to Mathrubhumi. Abhirami requested superstar Kamal Haasan and director Adoor Gopalakrishnan to provide her recommendation letters for the application.

Believing that recommendation letters would strengthen her application, she approached renowned Malayalam filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, known for his award-winning films. He readily issued her a recommendation letter without hesitation. She then turned to her Virumaandi co-star, Kamal Haasan, for a similar request. However, Kamal Haasan declined, explaining that he believed she had a promising future in the film industry and should not leave it.

M.T. Vasudevan Nair, celebrated Indian screenwriter, director and novelist, died on Dec. 25 at a hospital in Kozhikode after being admitted to a hospital for breathing difficulties. He was 91.

His contributions to Malayalam-language cinema and literature redefined storytelling in the southern Indian state of Kerala where he was born. Nair’s early exposure to traditional folktales and the lush landscapes of his homeland would later inform his distinct narrative style. His cinematic career began in the early 1960s, and he quickly emerged as a master of the screenplay, becoming synonymous with an emerging new wave movement in Malayalam cinema.

Nair’s debut as a screenwriter, “Murappennu” (1965), directed by A. Vincent, set the tone for a career defined by emotionally resonant, character-driven stories. Over the decades, he penned screenplays for over 60 films, including iconic works such as “Nirmalyam” (1973), which won India’s National Film Award for Best Feature Film and marked his directorial debut.

Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty has been named the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s highest honor in cinema.

The announcement was made by Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Railways and Electronics and Information Technology.

The award is given for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema and is named after Phalke, director of “Raja Harischandra” (1913), India’s first full-length feature, who is considered the father of Indian cinema.

Chakraborty, 74, has appeared in over 350 films across multiple Indian languages during his nearly five-decade career. He rose to prominence with his debut in “Mrigayaa” (1976), which earned him his first Indian National Film Award for Best Actor. The actor gained widespread recognition for his role in “Disco Dancer” (1982), a film that also found success beyond Indian shores across Asia, the erstwhile Soviet Union, eastern Europe, the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

Throughout his career, Chakraborty has collected three acting...

No reasonably intelligent person imagines an artist’s statement about the horrors in Gaza would, in fact, end those horrors, but there are always limits to what one can take and hopes for what one could do. It might even be said that, as observers of the world and human behavior, filmmakers are especially inclined to recoil. When I interviewed Pedro Costa last month he spoke, unprompted, of a situation that’s only grown worse: “It’s very clear that we cannot stand images anymore. I can’t. I can’t. The images of the world for me [Exhales] I can’t. I turn my eyes, and I’m sure you do the same. It’s unbearable.” When I spoke with Anthony Dod Mantle a couple of weeks later it, again, emerged––vis-a-vis The Zone of Interest, whose own cinematographer alluded to it the next day. It’s difficult being a person in the world,...

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 9 (Ians) Saturday morning, it was a rare meeting of two giants when veteran actor Nana Patekar came calling on legendary film maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan at the latter’s house.

Soon the discussion between the two veterans centered around the films and Patekar explicitly informed Adoor (as he is popularly known) his concern that not once has Adoor invited him to act in any of his film.

The 72-year old triple national award winner said that he has been active in the industry for nearly half a century and never once has Adoor invited him to act in his film.

“I wish he invites me in his next film,” said Patekar with folded hands before Adoor.

Adoor reacted by saying he has never made a Hindi film as that’s a foreign language.

“I am not in a position to say if I will do a film. I cannot...

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 9 (Ians) Saturday morning, it was a rare meeting of two giants when veteran actor Nana Patekar came calling on legendary film maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan at the latter’s house.

Soon the discussion between the two veterans centered around the films and Patekar explicitly informed Adoor (as he is popularly known) his concern that not once has Adoor invited him to act in any of his film.

The 72-year old triple national award winner said that he has been active in the industry for nearly half a century and never once has Adoor invited him to act in his film.

“I wish he invites me in his next film,” said Patekar with folded hands before Adoor.

Adoor reacted by saying he has never made a Hindi film as that’s a foreign language.

“I am not in a position to say if I will do a film. I cannot...

Stars from both the Hindi and South Indian film industries turned out in force for the opening night of Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival, including Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sonam Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar, along with Tamil star Kamal Haasan, who presented the Excellence in Cinema Award (South Asia) to director-producer Mani Ratnam.

The two leading figures of South Indian cinema also announced their first collaboration in 36 years – Kh 234 – to be produced by Haasan’s Raaj Kamal Films International and Ratman’s Madras Talkies.

“We’re producing the film together – he’s directing it and any job that’s going I’m willing to do, including lead man,” joked Haasan after presenting Ratman with the award. “I’ll keep that in mind,” Ratnam retorted.

Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman and cinematographer Ravi K Chandran are also attached to the film. Haasan and Ratnam last collaborated on gangster drama Nayakan in 1987. A teaser...

Eighty-two-year-old legendary filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who is known for his open and plain speaking, on Friday said not many in the film industry speak out of fear of the Enforcement Directorate but he does not fear to open up.

“Not many in the film industry open up as they do not know from where a windfall is going to come. Now not manycriticise for fear of the arrival of the Enforcement Directorate officials , but I am not like that, I will say what I have to say,” said Adoor as he is popularly known in the presence of Goa Governor P. S. Sreedharan Pillai.

He also asked all not to place him on a pedestal as he is just an ordinaryperson.

“I wish to tell all, I am a struggling filmmaker and please do not place me on a pedestal praising me,” added Adoor.

Though the filmmaker has directed just...

Eighty-two-year-old legendary filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who is known for his open and plain speaking, on Friday said not many in the film industry speak out of fear of the Enforcement Directorate but he does not fear to open up.

“Not many in the film industry open up as they do not know from where a windfall is going to come. Now not manycriticise for fear of the arrival of the Enforcement Directorate officials , but I am not like that, I will say what I have to say,” said Adoor as he is popularly known in the presence of Goa Governor P. S. Sreedharan Pillai.

He also asked all not to place him on a pedestal as he is just an ordinaryperson.

“I wish to tell all, I am a struggling filmmaker and please do not place me on a pedestal praising me,” added Adoor.

Though the filmmaker has directed just...

Revered Indian actor Waheeda Rehman has been accorded the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s highest film honor.

The award is given for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema and is named after Phalke, director of “Raja Harischandra” (1913), India’s first full-length feature, who is considered the father of Indian cinema.

Rehman, the 85-year-old grande dame of Indian cinema has worked with most of the legendary filmmakers of her country during her career and the roles she chose were in films that are considered classics in the annals of Indian cinema. She worked with Guru Dutt in “Pyaasa” (1957) and “Kaagaz Ke Phool” (1959), Satyajit Ray in “Abhijaan” (1962), Basu Bhattacharya in “Teesri Kasam” (1966) and Yash Chopra in “Kabhie Kabhie” (1976), among many other memorable roles.

But it is her role as Rosie in Vijay Anand’s “Guide” (1965) that Rehman remembers with the greatest fondness. “When I signed ‘Guide’ more than 50 years ago, my friends told...

Taking a stroll down the memory lane, megastar Amitabh Bachchan recalled his meeting with India’s cultural icon Satyajit Ray, sharing how the latter’s room was filled with books and posters.

Satyajit Ray was considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He was the director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and composer. He is celebrated for works including ‘The Apu Trilogy’, ‘The Music Room’, ‘The Big City’, ‘Charulata’ and the ‘Goopy–Bagha’ trilogy.

Host of the quiz-based reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ season 15, Amitabh Bachchan welcomed Varun Kesarwani from Ayodhya, Up, the rollover contestant in the episode 13th of the ‘Rishtey Special’ week.

For the Rs 3,20,000 question, Varun was asked: “Which film director designed the logo of the Sahitya Akademi?” The options given were- Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Satyajit Ray, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and Bhalji Pendharkar. Varun took the double dip lifeline- and gave the...

Interview‘Paradise’, directed by Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage, is about a Malayali couple who land in Sri Lanka during the economic crisis. The film has Darshana Rajendran and Roshan Mathew in the lead.Still from 'Paradise'Across a phone call, Prasanna Vithanage’s voice fades mid-sentence. It must be the weather, he says when he is back. As I picture Sri Lanka in the rain, he asks, is it pouring hard in Kerala. It isn’t, but there has been a spell or two, right in the middle of Onam. Ah, Onam, he says fondly of Kerala’s biggest festival. Everything about Kerala appears very dear to this filmmaker in Sri Lanka, who has been coming to the state’s annual film festival (Iffk) year after year since it began in the mid-1990s. It seems apt that after decades of making many noticeable films, Prasanna has now made a...

ObituaryFounder of General Pictures Achani Ravi was drawn to cinema because of his love for the arts, and produced acclaimed Malayalam films such as ‘Thampu’, ‘Esthappan’, ‘Manju’ and ‘Vidheyan’.Courtesy - Fotokannan / Wiki Malayalam/ Cc By-sa 3.0Producer of several acclaimed Malayalam films K Ravindranathan Nair, popularly known as Achani Ravi, died on Sunday, July 8 at his home in Kerala’s Kollam. He had just turned 90 last Monday. Achani Ravi was the producer of movies made by legendary writers and directors such as G Aravindan, P Bhaskaran and Mt Vasudevan Nair. He was the recipient of several National and State Film Awards. Ravi founded General Pictures in the year 1967. The first movie he produced under its banner was Anweshichu Kandethiyilla, made by the late poet and filmmaker P Bhaskaran. He went on to fund two more films made by Bhaskaran — Kattukurangu and Lakshaprabhu. After producing the film Achani in 1973, made by another celebrated director A Vincent,...

FilmsEach era has been witness to new waves in Malayalam cinema. But have themes and storytelling techniques ever been as novel as they are now?Image for representation / Courtesy PxfuelEight years ago, when we were watching Premam in the now-defunct Sri Visakh theatre in Thiruvananthapuram, my mother and my seven-year-old nephew both sat with gloomy faces. The seven-year-old wrapped the end of my shawl around him, choosing to drown his gloom in sleep. His grandmother stayed awake, straining to follow what the younger lot in the audience appeared to enjoy so much. It was not that she did not like the film, but that she could hardly make out what was being told. In the last decade or so, when movies in Malayalam rolled out in all different hues and forms, many things happened. Audiences, who had in the decade before that chose to stick to their television sets and give the theatres a miss,...

ControversyThe veteran filmmaker has been defensive of Shankar Mohan, the former director of the institute, after allegations of caste discrimination were raised against him.Courtesy: Wiki commons/ Hareesh N NampoothiriHeaping praises on Shankar Mohan, who recently resigned as director of the Kr Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts after allegations of caste discrimination, veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan announced his resignation as chairman of the institute on Tuesday, January 31. Listing out the major institutes Shankar had headed over the years, Adoor claimed that there had been no complaints against him in four decades, but that in Kerala “we invited him, raised baseless allegations against him and sent him away in humiliation”. Taking on a defensive tone, Adoor released a five-page statement accusing certain people of “instigating” students to go on a strike against Shankar, and belittling the enquiry commission that found fault with Shankar. "There is no other individual...

ProtestThe institute’s director Shankar Mohan, against whom the students were protesting, resigned on Saturday.Tnm StaffProminent film actor Fahadh Faasil has expressed his support for the students of the Kr Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts who have been protesting against alleged caste discrimination at the institute. “I am with the students. Everyone has started to actively discuss (the problem) and a solution has started taking form. The director has resigned. Let it all settle and let the students be able to continue their studies,” Fahadh said while answering questions at a press meet that was held for the promotion of the film Thangam that he has produced. Two days ago, the director of the institute Shankar Mohan resigned, saying that he had completed three years in the post. Students have been protesting for nearly seven weeks over alleged instances of caste discrimination by Shankar Mohan. However,...

ProtestVeteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan courted controversy by defending Shankar Mohan, the director of Kr Narayanan Film Institute, who has been accused of caste discrimination by students and staff.Tnm StaffJeo Baby / FacebookMalayalam filmmaker Jeo Baby announced that he is withdrawing his film Freedom Fight from the Happiness International Film Festival in Kannur, conducted by the Government of Kerala from December 19-21. He said that the withdrawal is in protest against the organisers’ decision to have the festival inaugurated by filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who had defended the caste discrimination at the Kr Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts, Kottayam, in the recent weeks. "We are withdrawing the film in protest against the decision to have the festival inaugurated by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who has been running a dictatorial rule at the Kr Narayanan Institute and ruining the future of so many students. We are strongly opposing this decision by the...

IFFKAs part of the International Film Festival of Kerala, films from across the world will be screened simultaneously on fourteen screens in Thiruvananthapuram from December 9 to 16.Don PalatharaA still from the Lav Diaz film 'When The Waves are Gone'The International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk) is a mammoth event, not only in terms of the number of attendees, but also the number of films screened there each year. Films from across the world will be screened simultaneously on fourteen screens in Kerala’s capital city of Thiruvananthapuram for six days, excluding the opening and closing days. The 27th edition of the festival, scheduled to be held from December 9 to 16, is special to me for several reasons. Even though I am attending the festival with a professional obligation, many of the films being screened this time are from filmmakers whose works I admire and look up to. By now, I have...

FilmsSwayamvaram was an important film, made at a time when audiences in Kerala were not used to independent cinema. Adoor became a pioneer in many ways, saying here is another way of making films.CrisFilm stills courtesy - YouTube / Malayalam Movie Channel (Music Zone)A bus journey lasts several minutes, during which a couple seated next to each other exchange many shy smiles. In the unhurried introduction of the two main characters in this 50-year-old film, you spot the familiar touch of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, one of the most beloved filmmakers of Malayalam cinema. This was his debut, Swayamvaram, made a decade after he attended the Film and television Institute of India in Pune. It was funded by Chitralekha, a film society and organisation that he founded with friends. Saradha and Madhu, two leading stars of the time, became the leading couple in Adoor’s script, co-written with Kp Kumaran, another great Malayalam filmmaker.

IFFKSix of the legendary filmmaker’s films, known for their philosophical approach towards humanity’s problems, will be screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk).Tnm StaffImage credit/ BollywoodirectLegendary Hungarian auteur Béla Tarr, often referred to as one of the greatest innovators in world cinema, will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 27th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk) this year. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a sculpture, Kerala Cultural Affairs Minister Vn Vasavan said at a press conference on Tuesday, November 29. Six of the auteur’s films, generally known for their philosophical approach towards humanity’s problems, will be screened at the festival. Some of Tarr’s best films including The Turin Horse (2011) and Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) are among the films set to be screened, the minister said. The 27th Iffk, organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy,...

Satyajit Rays 1955 classic ‘Pather Panchali’ was named the best Indian film of all time in a poll conducted by Fipresci-India.

Ritwik Ghatak’s 1960 drama ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’ was placed in the second spot, followed by Mrinal Sen’s ‘Bhuvan Shome’ (1969).

Fipresci took out a list of the ‘All Time Ten Best Indian Films’, listing the top 10 films in the history of Indian cinema across languages.

Ray’s 1955 film ‘Pather Panchali’, which is based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s 1929 Bengali novel of the same name, marked his directorial debut.

It was also the first film of the Apu Trilogy. Regarded as one of the most iconic films ever made, ‘Pather Panchali’ depicts the childhood travails of protagonist Apu and his elder sister Durga amid the harsh village life of their poor family. It was followed by ‘Aparajito’ (1956) and ‘Apur Sansar’ (1959).

Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s 1981 Malayalam film ‘Elippathayam’, Girish Kasaravalli’s 1977 film ‘Ghatashraddha’, and M.

TributeThe filmmaker, often credited with revolutionising cinema, passed away by assisted death in Switzerland on September 13.CrisJean-Luc Godard / Courtesy - IFFKNo one had expected 90-year-old Jean-Luc Godard to show up on stage in Thiruvananthapuram, when Kerala’s most cherished film festival – International Film Festival of Kerala – was belatedly held in February last year. Godard, a pioneer of the new wave French cinema in the 60s, was declared the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the fest, held two months too late because of Covid-19. But when the big screen at the Nishagandhi Auditorium lit up to show his face, a Cuban cigar in his hands, the crowd sat bewildered. They broke into laughter and applause at his first line: “Ok I will speak with the tongue of the dominators, I will speak in English.” Godard, a beloved of the festival crowd of Kerala, accepted the award, mocked the language...

Internationally renowned filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan said that French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard changed the grammar of filmmaking and created his own path in making films. He was reacting to the passing away of the Franco-Swiss filmmaker on Tuesday, September 13, at the age of 91.

Adoor said Godard’s intellectual abilities were seen in his first movie ‘Breathless’. He questioned the traditional mode of filmmaking and created his own path. He has used a unique style of the character directly speaking to the audience. The acclaimed filmmaker said Godard had even developed a new methodology to make digital movies.

National Award-winning editor and artistic director of International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk), Bina Paul, said: “The Intellectual commitment of Godard was exemplary and he was fully devoted to movies. His movies themselves are a treat to watch and have revolutionised filmmaking.”

Last year, Godard was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th edition of the Iffk.

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 13 (Ians) Internationally renowned filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan said that French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard changed the grammar of filmmaking and created his own path in making films.

He was reacting to the passing away of the Franco-Swiss filmmaker on Tuesday, September 13, at the age of 91.

Adoor said Godard’s intellectual abilities were seen in his first movie “Breathless”. He questioned the traditional mode of filmmaking and created his own path. He has used a unique style of the character directly speaking to the audience. The acclaimed filmmaker said Godard had even developed a new methodology to make digital movies.

National Award-winning editor and artistic director of International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk), Bina Paul, told Ians: “The Intellectual commitment of Godard was exemplary and he was fully devoted to movies. His movies themselves a treat to watch and had revolutionised filmmaking.”

Shyamaprasad, a National Award-winning director, said: “This is a great loss to world cinema.

Kummatty (1979).In May of this year, Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation launched its virtual theater, Restoration Screening Room, with a beautiful digital version of I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, which was followed the next month by Federico Fellini's La Strada (1954). Showing next after these mid-century classics of Western cinema is Kummatty by Aravindan Govindan, a selection in keeping with the foundation's World Cinema Project, which endeavors to preserve and restore neglected films from around the world. Nevertheless, the selection is an unusual choice, as the Indian filmmaker, an avant-garde artist at the vanguard of the Parallel Cinema movement in his native state, is relatively unknown outside of Kerala, let alone the country. Tadao Sato, one of Japan's foremost film scholars and critics, saw Kummatty for the first time in 1982 and stated that he had not seen a more beautiful film.Kummatty’s...

MollywoodAn Indian film is going to be screened after a 17-year-gap at the festival, and this is the first time that a Malayalam movie has been chosen for the competition section.Tnm StaffTwitter/ Bandhu Prasad AleyammaMalayalam director Mahesh Narayanan’s latest film Ariyippu, titled Declaration in English, has been selected for the competition section of the 75th edition of the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. An Indian film is going to be screened after a 17-year-gap at the festival, and this is the first time that a Malayalam movie has been chosen for the competition section. The festival is scheduled to take place between August 3 to 13. Ariyippu will be screened on August 4 and this is the first time director Mahesh Naryanan is sending his film to be screened at an international film festival. Describing the plot of the movie in a press statement, the makers stated, “Set in the pandemic stricken times in Noida,...

InterviewDirectors Rahman Brothers are behind ‘Vasanthi’ and ‘Chavittu’, two films which have won state awards in consecutive years.CrisSajas and Shinos RahmanUphill a bylane in Thiruvananthapuram, in a little hall called Lenin Balavadi, there is a surprisingly good number of people to watch a couple of parallel films on a Sunday afternoon. A little past 5, one of the films, Vasanthi, has just been screened, and among the folks scampering in and out of the hall are its two filmmakers, actor and organisers of the film show. The filmmakers are two men – brothers Shinos and Sajas, known together as the Rahman Brothers, from Aluva. The brothers, along with Swasika who played their ‘Vasanthi’ and the organisers of the Banner Film Festival, screening the films, interact with an emotional audience, who, unlike in a regular movie house, come forward to say what touched them the most. No one in the audience seems...

The late Govindan Aravindan’s 1978 masterpiece “Thamp̄” (“The Circus Tent”) is one of two Indian films at this year’s Cannes Classics selection, alongside Satyajit Ray’s “Pratidwandi” (“The Adversary”) from 1970.

“Thamp̄” was painstakingly restored by India’s Film Heritage Foundation (Fhf), an organization founded by filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur in 2014. Dungarpur facilitated the restoration of Uday Shankar’s landmark film “Kalpana” (1948) by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation, the restored version of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. He also collaborated with the World Cinema Foundation again for the restoration of the 1972 Sinhalese film “Nidhanaya” directed by eminent Sri Lankan filmmaker Lester James Peries. The restoration premiered at Venice in 2013.

The restoration of “Thamp̄” was a process that took eight months to achieve. Fhf, as a member of the International Federation of Film Archives, also put out a call to all the 171 member institutions around the world...

Malayalam movies had been in the limelight through the works of acclaimed moviemakers such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who was one of the most known faces of the Malayalam film industry to a global audience. He is a respected figure in the international film festival circuits, winning acclaim as a filmmaker as well as being on […]...

IFFKThe 1979 children’s film, made by legendary director Aravindan, was restored by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project, Film Heritage Foundation and the Cineteca di Bologna film archive in Italy.CrisScreengrabOne by one, the speakers on stage at the Sree Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram looked unbelievingly at the bulging young crowd in front of them and remarked, this is such a nice surprise, so different from the time Kummatty was first screened. The first time was 43 years ago, when G Aravindan and Kavalam Narayana Panicker put together a poetic fairytale of a movie for children. The audience of 1979 was not the same, writer Paul Zacharia, one of the speakers, said twice. Looking at Adoor Gopalakrishnan in the audience, he added, “Adoor would know.” Adoor and Aravindan belong to an early generation of experimental filmmakers, famed for their art house, parallel cinema. Aravindan is no more, Adoor turned 80 last July. One came...

TributeThe comedy in ‘Manichithrathazhu’, the pathos in ‘Manasinakkare’, the villainy in ‘Malootty’ and the numerous characters she etched out in her long career made her a queen of emotions.CrisBasheer walks whistling by the side of a great big fence that separated jail from jail. He stops mid-tune, hearing a peculiar female voice, asking who is whistling out there. Basheer’s face brightens up at this unexpected company in a jail, a voice in the void left behind by the inmates who were no longer there. She asks his name, he hers. Narayani, says she; beautiful name, says he. Aged 22, says she; beautiful age, says he. In Mathilukal – meaning “fences” – a film made by Adoor Gopalakrishnan based on the writings of Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, this is the only way we know Narayani – as a voice across a fence. Kpac Lalitha, that treasured artist of Malayalam cinema, leads a beautiful love story just by her voice,...

Mollywood Lalitha’s ability to seamlessly step into the shoes of the character she was playing ensured that she was one of the most sought after supporting actors in Malayalam cinema.Tnm StaffFacebook/ Kpac LalithaKPAC Lalitha, a face that the Malayali audience considered to be their family, is no more. The dearly loved actor appeared in over 550 films, as the sharp-tongued mother, the sassy sister-in-law, the nosey neighbour, the inquisitive wife, and so many other memorable roles that entertained viewers over generations. Her ability to seamlessly step into the shoes of the character she was playing ensured that she was one of the most sought after supporting actors in Malayalam cinema. Born Maheshwari Amma on February 25, 1948, the actor who began her career in theatre and was a member of the Kpac (Kerala People’s Arts Club) group, made her film debut in the 1969 film Koottukudumbam. She went on to win...

Legendary film maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Thursday informed the Minister of Local Self Government M V Govindan that he will be giving away 13 cents of land (100 cents is one acre) which is his inherited property at his home town Adoor, to the Kerala government. The government according to Adoor (as he is popularly […]...

Flix FlashbackIt’s a role of a lifetime for Mammootty, who sheds every ounce of his stardom and popular mannerisms and disappears into Patelar.Neelima MenonYoutube / Potato Eaters CollectiveBaskara Patelar doesn’t smile. He leers. He doesn’t laugh. It’s more an infernal growl. He is a Satan in the starkest sense of the word. In the opening scene we are introduced, without much fanfare, to Patelar—sitting upright on a wooden chair, legs crossed, surrounded by a few yes-men, looking with total derision at a hapless man, in a torn dhoti. It’s his potential slave—Thommi, a Christian immigrant from Kerala. Patelar spits paan and a volley of profanities on his face and nearly guns him down, all in the opening scene. In the background, his cronies are bellowing with laughter. Vidheyan is their story. Directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Vidheyan is the adaptation of Paul Zacharias’ novella Bhaskara Pattelarum Ente Jeevithavum.

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Dean Stockwell in David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986)The actor Dean Stockwell, remembered for his performances in films like The Boy with the Green Hair (1948), Paris, Texas (1984), Blue Velvet (1986), and many more, has died at the age of 85. As Sheila O'Malley mentions in her tribute, Stockwell's career was marked by numerous disappearances. He didn't always love acting, but "he lived long enough to be able to not just appreciate but feel the love that people had for him, the way audiences fell in love with him for 70 years." A newly discovered memoir by Paul Newman will be published next year by Knopf. Based on Newman's conversations with screenwriter Stewart Stern, the book aims to tell the legendary actor's story in his own words. Following the exit of Robert Pattinson and Taron Egerton, Joe Alwyn...

The Notebook Primer introduces readers to some of the most important figures, films, genres, and movements in film history.Adoor Gopalakrishnan on the set of KathapurushanIn 1982, Elippathayam (Rat-Trap) was introduced at the National Film Theatre, London, and won the Sutherland Trophy for the “most original and imaginative film” of the year. The Malayalam-language film succeeded in catapulting its director, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, to widespread international acclaim. Until then, the rare British Film Institute (BFI) honor had been bestowed upon only one filmmaker from India: Satyajit Ray. Along with Ray and Mrinal Sen, Gopalakrishnan is one of the most recognized and admired Indian filmmakers in world cinema. The International Film Critics Prize (Fipresci) has gone to him six times successively. Decorated with honors such as the French Government's Commander of the Order of Arts & Letters, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award—India's highest award in cinema—and winner of several international awards, his films...

Awards

Siân Heder’s “Coda,” an Apple original film, has won the 2021 Sundance Film Festival: London Award presented by BIFA.

The award was voted for by 40 leading professionals from the British film industry assembled by the British Independent Film Awards.

The film follows Ruby, a Coda or Child of Deaf Adults, who is torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. The film stars Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, and Marlee Matlin, and is produced by Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger.

It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S., where it won best director U.S. dramatic, U.S. grand jury prize: dramatic and the audience award: U.S. dramatic. Walsh-Peelo attended the London event with Heder joining virtually for a Q & A.

The film will debut in cinemas and on Apple TV Plus on Aug.

Garnering the Fipresci Prize from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and National award of India for Best Director, Screenplay, and Audiography, Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s “Monologue” was one of the best films ever to come from the Malayalam film industry.

“Monologue”, tells the story of Ajayan, an orphan boy who is brought up by a doctor from the hospital where he’s born. Ajayan tells his life story, how as a brilliant kid, he was singled out in every aspect in school and thus getting alienated from his peers. He grows up with his foster brother Balu who’s already a grown up in the former’s childhood. As Ajayan grows up, his brilliance goes along with his social detachment and lack of ambition. After Balan’s marriage to Suma, Ajayan starts getting attracted to her which fills him with guilt and internal conflicts that lead him to leave the...

CinemaDirector Anjali Menon stated that late poet Onv means much to Malayalees and it was distressing that the Onv Academy has chosen an alleged perpetrator for the honour.Tnm StaffFacebookTamil poet and lyricist Vairamuthu was conferred with the fifth Onv literary award instituted by the Onv Cultural Academy in Kerala on Wednesday. However, many voices from the Malayalam film industry, who are members of the Women in Cinema Collective have questioned the jury’s decision to confer the award on the poet who has faced a slew of allegations of sexual harassment from many women, including singer Chinmayi. Actor Parvathy took to social media to criticize the jury and called the choice of recipient a huge disrespect to late poet Onv Kurup. "Onv Sir is our pride. His contribution as a poet and lyricist is incomparable. How it has nourished our culture. Our hearts and minds have benefited through his body of work.

Review The film opens to 74-year-old Kg George intensely watching a Federico Fellini film.Neelima MenonVeethi.comThirty minutes into the narrative we are introduced to Selma George, Kg George’s wife. She sits next to her husband and calmly recounts their 44 odd years of married life with this line— “He is a great artist but not a great family man. He has no sentiments for his family. Marriage meant only sex and good food for him. But he is undoubtedly one of the greatest filmmakers in the country.” George listens to her with an indulgent awkward smile and almost feebly cuts in— “Selma, that’s what I am.” That was perhaps the most stunningly revelatory part of that 125-minute documentary. However much of a cruel paradox that sounds, considering the repertoire of brilliantly nuanced female characters he has created on screen, anyone who has explored his filmography will be quick...

MollywoodIt is the only Indian film to feature under the main competition category at the Miff, along with 13 other international films. Tnm StaffScreengrabAfter winning praises from fans and garnering critical acclaim, Malayalam film Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam has been selected under the main competition category of Moscow International Film Festival (Miff). It is the only Indian film out of the 14 films that are contesting under the category. Helmed by director Don Palathara, the movie stars actors Rima Kallingal and Jithin Puthenchery in the lead roles. Santhoshinte Onnam Rahasyam was lauded as one of the most experimental films in the history of Malayalam cinema, since the movie is completely shot inside a car, with the camera fixed on the dashboard. It premiered at the International Film Festival of Kerala on February 21. The film revolves around its two lead characters; Maria, an entertainment reporter and her boyfriend Jitin, a small-time actor who does...

Indian cinema superstar Rajinikanth, 70, will be the 2021 recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s highest film honor.

The award is given for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema and is named after Phalke, director of “Raja Harischandra” (1913), India’s first full-length feature, who is considered the father of Indian cinema. It carries a cash prize of Inr 1 million.

Announcing the award on Thursday, Prakash Javadekar, India’s information and broadcasting minister tweeted: “Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji. His contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter has been iconic.”

The award jury consisted of filmmaker Subhash Ghai, musicians Asha Bhonsle and Shankar Mahadevan, and actors Mohanlal and Biswajit Chatterjee.

Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji

His contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter has...

The Film and Television Institute of India (Ftii) has given rise to a considerable number of terrific directors. Some of India’s greatest filmmakers such as Mani Kaul and Adoor Gopalakrishnan have come out of Ftii. The most credible representative of Indian arthouse cinema in the last decade, Amit Dutta, is also an Ftii product. Prantik Basu has had the same background, having studied film direction and screenplay writing at the institute. His short film “Sakhisona” (2016) won the Tiger Award for Short Film at the 2017 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Mogulmari is a typical village of Bengal. It has its own local folkloric stories, with belief in them fluctuating from person-to-person. A mound exists in the village and it is named after Sakhisona, a legendary figure of one of these folklores. However, the destiny of the village changes completely when archaeological experts dig through the mound to find...

Vinothraj P.S. is an Indian filmmaker. While working in a DVD shop in Chennai, he was introduced to people from the Tamil film industry. This led to him becoming assistant director on two films by A. Sargunam. After working as a assistant theatre director, he began making his own films. Pebbles (2021) is his feature film debut with its world premiere at IFFR.

On the occasion of “Pebbles” winning the Tiger Award at the International Film festival Rotterdam, we speak with him about the landscape of the film, balancing seriousness and humor, the cast, and other topics

The landscape is one of the protagonists of the film. Was that your intention from the beginning? Could you tell us more about the area the story is located in?

I was born and grew up exactly there, in this area in a village around the place where we shot the film. I...

IFFKThose who wish to attend the screenings will have to reserve their seats in advance and follow Covid-19 protocol.CrisUnlike other years, the passes for the International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk) are not sold out yet. There are two more days left for the Iffk, and five movie theatre complexes and a large open-air auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram are ready to screen 80 films. The festival is set to start on a Wednesday this year -- February 10 -- as opposed to a Friday in the past years, with a number of rules, restrictions and hope. It is the 25th edition of a festival which has become prestigious to Kerala over the years. Every other year, in the second week of December, crowds formed at festival venues and roamed the streets freely, laymen touched shoulders with filmmakers from across the world, movies were followed by many discussions, and there was a sense...

IFFKLifetime Achievement Award for this edition will be presented to renowned French-Swiss filmmaker and critic Jean-Luc Godard.Tnm StaffCourtesy - Philippe R Doumic / Wiki Commons / Cc by Sa 4Online registration for the 25th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk) will begin on Saturday, January 30. All Covid-19 protocols will be followed at the festival venues. The Iffk, organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, will begin in Thiruvananthapuram on February 10 and end on February 14, following which it will be held in Kochi (February 17 to 21), Thalassery (February 23 to 27) and Palakkad (March 1 to 5). The online registrations will begin at 10 am on Saturday. Delegate fees for the general category is Rs 750 while for the students, it is Rs 400. Delegates should register at the venue closest to their hometown. Godard gets Lifetime Achievement Award The Lifetime Achievement Award for this edition will be presented to renowned French-Swiss filmmaker and critic Jean-Luc Godard.

For years, Malayalam cinema has been one of the strongest flagbearers of quality cinema coming out of India. The likes of Govindan Aravindan, John Abraham and Adoor Gopalakrishnan, some of the greatest Indian filmmakers of all time, have come out of the state of Kerala. From the same industry, Don Palathara works with a shoestring budget, using atypical filmmaking choices and believing on inventiveness. “1956, Central Travancore”, his latest release, is an example of the results of his creativity. It is one of his two films to have been selected to get shown at the 25th edition of International Film Festival Of Kerala.

Oman and Kora are brothers. While Oman is a shrewd man, keeping care of his business and leading a life as normal as possible, Kora is an indecisive fellow with a recurring trait of leaving work and family all of a sudden, only to remain missing for months.