An image from Golda Sellam’s first visit to Kerala a few years ago is still fresh in her mind. At one of the venues of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), she saw a crowd of youngsters moving around someone, like a swarm of bees. Amazed, she asked the person next to her about it. “Don’t worry, It’s Kim Ki Duk”, came the answer.
From being a member of the jury back then, Ms. Sellam, a film consultant, programmer and producer based in France, is now coming back as a special curator of the 28th edition of the IFFK, set to begin here on Friday.
“The first time I was here, I was amazed by the sheer number of people in theatres, and by the cinema knowledge of the audience. I have had conversations with students, who made extremely precise comments on films and comparisons between filmmakers. I think the IFFK is one of the best film festivals in India for film lovers to discover new talent from all over the world,” says Ms. Sellam, in an interview to The Hindu, after her arrival in the capital on Wednesday.
Present stature
Bina Paul had helmed the IFFK as its artistic director from its early years, playing a key role in shaping it to its present stature. Last year, Deepika Suseelan took over the role and managed to organise the edition successfully. After her resignation, soon after the 27th IFFK, the artistic director’s post had remained unfilled for many months, until Golda Sellam was brought in as a special curator a few weeks ago. She was given the immediate responsibility of curating the world cinema section and some of the other categories. But, she has also been appointed with a longer term goal of giving more global visibility for the festival.
Co-productions
“This year, I came very late on board. The idea is to give the IFFK an opening outside the country and in Europe, to make it more international than it already is, so that more people from abroad could come here, meet young directors and there would be co-productions. Bringing visibility for Malayalam films outside India is also part of the plan. I think next year we can work really more in advance,” she says.
According to her, even considering the limited time available, the team has been able to put together a great package of films.
Focus on women
“I am happy, especially because of the focus on female cinema this year. The selections have the first and second films of young female directors from all over the world, which gives us a good overview of the evolution of female filmmakers. The selections were done with a global view, and with a view of the festival’s editorial line,” she says.
For the past few years, Ms. Sellam has been active in India, aiding in the development of films at various stages, especially in helping the producers in finding partners in Europe. She has been associated with acclaimed films like Lihaaf and Burqa Boxers.
