Indian film ‘‘The Tree full of parrots’’ (2021, Malayalam language) directed by Jayaraj talks about compassion which is vanishing from society © Mr.Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) 27.05.2022  Cinema as an art form is important in India as more than 1000 films are made annually. Indian cinema is one of those rare national cinemas which has challenged the hegemony of Hollywood. Cinema as an industry gives numerous opportunities to various indigenous film industries to mak...

''Hasyam'' : An ingeniously amusing film by veteran Malayalam director Jayaraj which deals with ''death' as a serious business albeit in a pleasantly humorous vein !!!! 02/02/2021 © Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)     ‘‘The denial of death’’ written in 1973 by famous American cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker is one of the few great books of 20th century. It discusses the most fundamental problem of mankind, ‘the fear of deat...

The world of cinema is full of surprises. One needs to learn the intricacies involved with this art in order to transform words into images. Hence, it is not so often that an ordinary layman can think of embarking on a creative journey in order to become a filmmaker merely by watching some good Iranian and Turkish films shown at film festivals. However, Bijukumar Damodaran is a very strong exception to this rule. In his native Kerala, South India, he is more commonly known as Dr.Biju. &n...

  Kerala, in the southwest corner of India, is a truly magical place that contains majestic mountains, lush backwaters, golden rice paddies, towering coconut palms and a gorgeous coastline in what is India’s most cine-literate and culturally discerning state. Therefore, the yearly International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which is currently running in the city of Trivandrum through December 19, is a much anticipated film event that brings together filmmakers and appreciative...