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14th International Film Festival of Kerala 2009 (Trivandrum, India 11th -18th December, 2009) 

Indonesian film "Fishing Platform" directed by Ravi Bharwani and Iranian film "About Elly" directed by Asghar Farhadi jointly won the prestigious golden crow pheasant award for best feature film at 14th edition of International Film Festival of Kerala 2009 [11-18 December,2009] which was held in south Indian city of Trivandrum. "True Noon", a Tajik film directed by Nosir Saidov won the best director prize whereas South African director Madoda Mcayiyana won best début director prize for his film "My Secret Sky". "True Noon" was also chosen by over 8000 festival delegates as best film to receive audience prize. "A Fly in the Ashes" directed by Argentinean director Gabriela David won FIPRESCI prize for best film. Indian director Joshy Matthew won FIPRESCI award for best Malayalam film for his film "Train in the tenth floor". NETPAC [Network for the promotion of Asian cinema] award was also bagged by "Fishing Platform" directed by Ravi Bharwani. This film has been produced by acclaimed Dutch director Orlow Seunke who directed "The Taste of Water". Indian director Mrinal Sen received 1st IFFK lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Indian cinema.

14th edition of International Film Festival of Kerala 2009 chose a renowned international jury headed by famous Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi to select best films. This festival was attended by numerous acclaimed guests which included famous directors Mama Keita, Orlow Seunke, Penek Ratnaruang, Raoul Peck and Ryszard Bugajski. Around 160 quality films were shown in 10 cinemas located in the city. Kerala State Cinema Academy, a governing body instrumental in organizing this festival plans to build a state of the art multiplex in order to make cinema viewing a unique experience for festival delegates whose size continues to grow each year. It is believed by many a genuine cinema enthusiast in India  that International Film Festival of Kerala is one of the best film festivals in India as it is run by people who are into cinema unlike other festivals which are managed by government officials.

By Lalit Rao

(lalitrao@gmail.com)

International Jury

Bahman Ghobadi
(Chairperson) :

Started his career in the field of Industrial photography, BahmanGhobadi soon started making 8mm short films and
documentaries before moving on to make A Time for Drunken Horses (1999), the first Kurdish full-feature film in the history of Iranian cinema. His shorts had begun their worldwide journey by the mid 1990's, winning accolades at international and domestic arenas. The pioneer Kurdish director from Iran began making features after Life in Fog which is touted as "the most famous documentary ever made in the history of Iranian cinema." Marooned in Iraq (2002), Daf (2003), Turtles CanFly (2004) and Half Moon ( 2006) ensued his feature debut and were shown at major world film festivals. His latest film Nobody knows About the Persian Cats won the Special JuryPrize -Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2009.

Born to a Kurdish family in Baneh, a city near the Iran-Iraq border in the province of Kurdistan, Iran, his family had to move to Sanandaj, the centre of Kurdistan Province in Iran,thanks to civil disputes. Ghobadi shifted to Tehran in 1992 where he studied BA in Film Directing from the Iranian Broadcasting College.

Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda:

Poet, professor, novelist, screenwriter and producer, Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda is an internationally admired Congolese director. He studied sociology, history and philosophy in Brussels, Belgium. He was trained in cinema in France, United Kingdom and United States. As a writer and a poet, he signed some analysis on the African Cinema. A well known film critic on African cinema, Balufu Bakupa has written extensively on the representation of Blacks in western cinema and television.
His best-known films, The Draughtsmen Clash, Article 15A, Afro@digital and Juju Factory have all won prestigious awards at major festivals.

Mamta Shanker:

Mamata Shankar is an accomplished dancer, choreographer and actress. She had her basic training in Bharatanatyam, Manipuri and Kathakali apart from Uday Shankar style of dance at the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre in Calcutta under the guidance of her mother Amala Shankar. Inheriting a rare sense of choreography from her father and following his footsteps, Mamata started Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe in 1978 and ‘Udayan'- the Ballet training centre in 1986 in Calcutta. As an actor she has worked with all the major directors of Bengali cinema including Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Budhadev Dasgupta, Gautam Ghosh and Rituporno Ghosh

Prassana Vithanarge:

Prasanna Vithanage's opus of five previous films has made him one of Sri Lanka's leading filmmakers with a worldwide critical and popular reputation. He began his career in the 1980's as a theatre director before setting out as a filmmaker in 1992. Vithanage also devotes time and effort to educate and train young people in the art and business of filmmaking. He returned to his theatrical roots in 2006 when he wrote, directed and produced two hugely popular Sinhala one act plays Horu Samaga Heluwen which ran to nearly 150 performances islandwide. He has translated and directed the works of Bernard Shaw and Dario Fo. His films include Ice on fire (1992), Dark night of the soul (1996), Walls Within (1997), Death on a Full Moon Day (1997), August Sun (2003) and Akasa Kusum(2008).

Hala Khalil:

Hala Khalil Graduated in film directing from the Film Academy in Cairo in 1992 after a brief period spent training to become an engineer. She made some short films and documentaries, including: Ahbabac Ashra (2000), Jamal al-Thaoura (1999) and Hillopolis (2002). She has also made a TV-series titled Shabab Online. Her award winning short film The Kite participated in many festivals, winning international acclaim. Her critically acclaimed feature debut came in 2004, with The Best of Times which marked the new wave of social drama in Egyptian cinema.