The 15th edition of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, will open this Friday with the screening of the Persian documentary Seven Winters in Tehran, directed by German filmmaker Steffi Niederzel.
The documentary, which won the Compass- Perspektive Award at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, highlights the entrenched misogyny in the Iranian justice system, which sentences a rape victim to death for acting in self-defence against the rapist. The documentary will be screened at 6 p.m. at Kairali Theatre.
More than 300 documentaries and short films from across the globe will be screened during the festival, which will be held at the Kairali complex till August 9. The films will be screened across 23 categories, such as homage, jury films, animation films, music video, campus films, focus long documentary, and focus short documentary.
Award
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to veteran filmmaker Deepa Dhanraj. Known for her intersectional approach, which also reflects in her documentary, her extensive filmography raises questions related to women’s health, political participation and resistance, education, and human rights. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will present the award at the closing ceremony to be held on August 9.
R.V. Ramani will be the filmmaker in focus at this year’s festival.
