If you know me personally, you might also know that I am a regular at the International Film Festval of Kerala, held annually in December at Thiruvananthapuram (and if you don’t know me personally, just read the first sentence). A habit that started during my Thiruvananthapuram days in 2016, I look forward and try to attend the week long celebration of cinema - unless life or a killer virus gets in the way.
Prologue
Since the dates for the next fest are officially announced during the conclusion of the current fest, what follows is an year long wait. Nothing significant happens for the most part of the year, so let us skip ahead to November - when the registration opens for delegates. Yes, we know that there are over ten thousand delegate passes and registration window usually lasts days - still most of my friends (and I) hit the servers with a passion until our registrations go through.
Once that is done, the wait begins for the schedule to be released - where we would come to know about the movies that would be screened, along with the order and frequency. The movies come from all parts of the world, so we need to look up each one of them to make an informed decision on what all movies to fit in to our schedule. There are over a hundred movies, and researching about each of them might appear daunting for some. For enthusiasts, this is an exciting part of the festival even before the curtains are drawn.
I did my time, noted down films that interested me in a digital note on my phone - and was ready with a personal schedule. The next wait begins.
Festival Days
I boarded a midnight train from Kochi, disrupting my sleep in the process, and reached the city of Thiruvananthapuram during the dawn of Saturday. I was surprised to see the swarm of auto rickshaws that flooded the Thampanoor circle at six thirty in the morning. Fortunately, I had found a reasonably priced hotel that was a stone’s throw away from the railway station. This would come in handy as about five of the eight venus of the fest was also in walking distance from my stay.
As I had reached hours before the check in time, I kept my bag at the reception counter, washed the lack of sleep with some cold water -before setting out to the main venue - the Tagore theater. No, I had not planned my first movie there. Even though we register as delegates online, we need to get the physical delegate card from Tagore. The card is important as the volunteers scan those to confirm if we are delegates and if we have reserved the movie we claim to have. More on this later - for now remember that the card carries significance.
Films
For those who don’t know - the festival unfurls at multiple screens around the city (fourteen this time). There are usually five shows per day at every screen. Morning series begins at nine, noon series at twelve, afternoon series at three, evening series at six, and the night series at nine again. On some days, there is an additional sixth horror movie screening that happens at midnight in the open air theater Nishagandhi.
You can reserve three movies to watch per day. If you are diligent enough, watching three movies a day is easy enough. Four is possible with a bit of planning. Five, if you compromise on some meal times.
Day 1
1: Linda - After getting my delegate kit from Tagore, I hurried to the nearby Kalabhavan to catch my first movie of this year’s fest - Linda. Had not reserved this one as I was unsure about getting the kit on time. Queues tend to be shorter for the morning shows, nd I was there one hour prior. Luckily, I got in. Linda, a tale of sexual tensions in a family with the arrival of a new maid was an interesting watch. Good start to the fest.
2: Correspondent - After Linda, I got in an auto rickshaw and scrambled to the SL Ariesplex for the second outing - Correspondent. A drama about a news correspondent with questionable ethics writing articles biased enough to th taste of those who pays them. He operates without shame or guilt, until the consequences hit home. An interesting premise, but the execution was not that gripping.
3: Me, Maryam, The Children and 26 Others - a decent watch, noting spectacular. Though I am not sure why they named it so.
4: Toxic - Was pumped to see this, as this was the winner at IFFI Goa and the trailer was interesting. Movie, however, did not turn out to be as exciting asexpected.
Day 2
5: Suspended Times - This was not my first choice for the Sunday morning. However, the movie Memories of My Burning Body got housefull in mere seconds by the time I got around to reserving it.Therefore, I changed my schedule a bit and moved the Frech movie Suspended Times up in the order. I remember having enjoyed watching a movie called Non Fiction in a previous edition of IFFK a few years ago. From the same director, Suspended Times is another conversation oriented film that touches upon several interesting subjects. Since the screenplay goes heavy on dialogues, you need to be focussed enough to catch the subtitles consistently. You blink, you miss.
6: Malu - What a wild opening scene to this movie! The packed cinema hall laughed their hearts out at the series of events. The eventual winner of the Best Film category in IFFK, this tale about a Brazilian actor and her relation with her mother and her daughter was indeed a satisfying watch.
7: Meeting with Pol Pot - While curating your perfect schedule, one would almost always run into conflicts - where there would be multiple movies of interest screening at the same time. The afternoon slot of Sunday was one such instance - with this political drama of political significance in Cambodia clashing with an Iranian drama. I prioritized this over the drama, and slotted it for a latter time. The decision paid off, as this movie provided a deeper insight into the horrors unfurled by the Cambodian dictator in the hope of building a classless society.
8: If Only I could Hibernate - My quota of three reserved movies was exhausted by the afternoon. As I had time, I looked into the night slot to pick one that interested me, and went one hour in advance to confirm my seat in the unreserved space. I was the first one to be in the queue, which on hindsight was an indication of the quality of the movie. That is not to see it was abad movie. Nothing to write home about, though. I consider these movies from across the globe as a window to the lifestyle in that area as well. On that note, the movie offered an interesting peak to the stunning, barren Mongolian lands at its people.
Day 3
9: A Traveller’s Needs - Interestingly, this was my birthday. Also, my friend from school Parvathi and her husband Vishakh were also attending the same movie. The premise had interested the three of us, and the movie had let down all of us as well.
10: Anora - One of the most hyped movies of this year’s fest - with queues running long hours in advance. Movie is fast paced and engaging - but not as deep or provoking as some of the other movies we see in festivals. I had met with people who had waited in the unreserved queue for two hours and still could not get a seat. I see no reason to waste that much time in waiting for this movie.
11: The Teacher - The mild disappointment at Anora not living up to the hype was forgotten as we stepped into the conflict zone of Palestine, in this intense and gripping drama. We travel with the central characters - feeling sorrow, disgust, anger, and even fleeting moments of joy in the bleak settings around us.
Day 4
12: My Favorite Cake - People attribute thirteen to be an unlucky number. However, this turned out ot be one of my favorite watches this year. An affectionate drama about a middle aged, charming woman - this blossoms to a beautiful tale that consistently hit the right notes with you. Though the movie took a different ending than what I had imagined, the charming performances and the subtle protest at the brutal Iranian regime leaves a mark.
13: Divorce - I realized I had misplaced my delegate ID card while standing in the queue for this Kazhak drama. After battling my sense of panic and despair, I talked to the volunteers and were relieved to know that they would let me in by checking my delegate number. Also, I could go to Tagore and get a duplicate card issued. This tale transpires at a time when the people of Kazhak experiences the contradicting ideals of Communism and Islam. The lifestyle and landscape of the mountainous Kazakhstan village people was the highlight of this otherwise brooding drama.
14: The Witness - Another Iranian gem. Watching powerful Iranian movies always tugs at my heartstrings. Generations of free spirited, open minded people crushed under a fundamentalist regime, with the freedom of choice in their daily lives robbed from them. The end credits of this one fired up goosebumps.
15: Vermiglio - A movie can be good and yet you may end up not enjoying it. The continuous visits to cinema halls, coupled with other activities had drained me by the evening - and this slow paced period drama required a fresher mind. I completed the movie for the sake of it and called it a day.
Day 5
Movie 16: Three Kiometers to the end of the world - A movie that was not in my radar initially. Went for this as another movie that I was looking for got booked out in no time. A rewarding decision as this was an engaging drama on a sensitive topic, taken in a sensible manner.
Movie 17: Young Hearts - Did not have a clear favorite to watch in this time slot - dotted in on this movie thanks to hearsay. True to the name, the movie is a heartful take where all central characters ar school going kids. Watching this movie in the Ajanta Theater also meant I had touched base on each of the fourteen venues of the festival.
Movie 18: Chicken for Linda - One of the few animated movies in the festival, and this one had entered my watchlist as its trailer was super interesting. The movie had a simple plot, and told in a simple manner. A charming end to this year’s fest for me.
Food
Flavors of a land play a major role in my travel plans. Even though this travel was to embrace world cinema, I had allotted some time apart to revisit some of my favorite food spots from the Thiruvananthapuram days.
Rajila
Lamb or mutton would probably be my most favorite meat out there. The tenderness of a well cooked mutton dish, paired with its rich flavors is truly a delight for the taste buds. Mutton is culturally prominent in Thiruvananthapuram, something which I have grown to miss after moving to Kochi. Of the numerous restaurants offering their own preparations - my favorite has been Rajila. A tiny roadside eatery that serves only mutton dishes. A trip to Thiruvananathapuram would be incomplete for me without tasting their iconic mutton botti and orotti, with a hot glass of mint tea to wash it all down.
The tiny shack was exactly as I had remembered it - with no signs of change since the last few years I had last visited them. The food retained the taste as well. I had to miss out on a movie for this culinary visit - something I dod not regret at all.
Aasife
It was during my previous IFFK experience that I had discovered this biriyani destination, that stands conveniently near to the Kairali Sree Nila theater complex. Ravenous after a noon time movie, I had walked into this joint that proclaimed itself as the world’s best biriyani - and I was blown away. The flavor dense rice and the accompanying gravy, the soft and juicy chicken pieces, and the boiled egg was perfection in my opinion. That day, I had realized my taste buds preferred Tamil style biriyani over the more subdues Malabari biriyani.
With those memories in mind, I hd visited Aasife to experience the biriyani once again. And they lived up to their name, again. I must admit that I was not blown away this time - possibly because I knew what it tasted like, and I was not on an empty stomach. Delish, indeed.
Arya Nivas
No, this was not an old favorite. I tried this one out as it was very close to where I stayed. Another rewarding decision, as they had one of the most lip smacking pongal I had in recent times. A bit costlier than I expected, but no compromise on quality.
Zam Zam
One of the most iconic restaurant names in Thiruvananthapuram - so much so that they have three buildings next to each other to accommodate the huge crowds that come there to dine daily. As I was alone and short on time, I did not experiment much and stuck with the odl favorite of Shawai - with a dash of mandhi rice on the side. Zam Zam proved yet again why people return for their food.
People & Conversation
I have attended six or seven editions of the film festival til now. Of that, there were some I attended with my friends. Some where Nithya came with me for the films. And some, where I did it solo. All three experiences are different. For someone who sees no problem in going to the movies alone, doing the fest solo is a natural thing to do. You do not compromise on choosing the film to align with others’ tastes. If you like a movie, you chose well. If you did not, tough luck. It might get boring while spending hours in the long queues - but you could always strike up conversations with fellow delegates around you.
And conversations happen all the time - and there are interesting people around us. A Tamil delegate from Madurai, who asked me if I could help him find a place of stay, a fellow tchie from Kochi who wishes to quit in a few years so taht he could focus on filmmaking, two college going girls who crossed paths with me thrice in different queues, another enthusiastic guy who shared recommendations over phone, a French native who runs a language institution in Thiruvananthapuram - there were a lot of interesting people around me. I am not very outgoing and it takes me some time to warm up to start talking to people. I wish I could be more outgoing, something which would have helped me connect with more people.
The biggest conversation took place with Parvathi and Visakh. After watching a rather uninspiring Korean drama with them, we parted ways with a promise of meeting for lunch. Visiting their office space in a two hundred year old Tharavadu was a refreshing change, and we sat back on the Thattinpuram - lighting up old memories. The biggest surprise lay there waiting for me - a handcrafted token of love for the chance encounter on my birthday.
Another invitiation to visit their home that night followed - something I was not prepared for but accepted anyway. After completing our movie runs that night, we met and drove back to their cute little home - a testament to their designer skills. More spirited conversation followed, as we drowned in the old incidents while also commenting on the current state of affairs.
It was well past midnight when we decided it was time to sleep, and I realized it wont be easy to go back to my stay then. Probably for thefirst time in my life, I stayed over at a friend’s place. After a brief sleep as I bid farewell to them, the promise was made to meet again during the next year’s festival.
What had started out of sheer curiosity several years ago, has become a ritual in my life. An annual event to witness world cinema without the frills of commercial industry. A window to the world around us. An avenue to meet like mided individuals. And a space to reconnect with friends. As the dates for the next year’s fest gets announced during the concluding ceremony, the countdown starts again.
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