Thiruvananthapuram  :

The documentary ‘Chronicles of a Temple Painter’ directed by Shravan Katikaneni bagged the award for the Best Long Documentary at the seventh edition of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK 2014) which concluded here on Tuesday.

The 52-minute documentary discusses the life of a Hindu temple painter and his wife who rescued a four-year-old Muslim girl and took care of her as their own daughter. The award was presented by Cinema Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan at the Kairali Theatre here. The award comprised a purse of Rs 1 lakh and a certificate.

In short documentary category, ‘Babai’ directed by Kavita Datir and Amit Sonawane won the award which carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000 along with a certificate.

The awardees were selected by a jury comprising Hong Hyosook, Susie Tharu and Harsh Mander.

While addressing the gathering, after inaugurating the closing ceremony, Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said that the State Government would take an initiative to promote Malayalam movies to an international-level.

“The movies which can help promote social justice should be made in the state. That will affect the society in a positive manner. The government will take an initiative to support the attempts, if filmmakers come forward with such movies,” he said.

The Minister said that these types of film festivals inspire filmmakers to come up with good quality movies.Thiruvanchoor said that more ‘environmental- science’ movies would be included in the next festival.

‘Saltwater’ directed by MA students of SJCC, bagged the award for best campus film. Ammu S Rajashekharan, Anju S Raj, Mahisha Mohan, Naithik Mathew Eapen, Remo Benjamin Peter, Remya Mathew, Anand Ajayaghosh, Anoop T M, Augustin Veets, Krishal Janardhanan, Sarath and Saritha Balan Pillai were the people behind the camera of this movie.

‘You are Rot’ directed by Christo Tomy won the award for the Best Music Video. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and a certificate.

Best Animation Film Award was bagged by Gitanjali Rao for ‘True Love Story’. The award comprises Rs 25,000 and a certificate.

‘Tamaash’ directed by Satyanshu and Devanshu Singh bagged the award for Best Short Fiction. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a certificate.

‘Fishy Magic’ by Ektara Collective won the special mention award in short fiction category. Special mention in short documentary category was won by ‘Trash’ directed by Sougata Bhattacharya.Two special mention awards were given in Long Documentary category to ‘Candles in the Wind’ by Kavita Bahl and Nandan Saxena and ‘Goonga Pehelwan’ by Vivek Chowdhary, Prateek Gupta and Mit Jain.Best Documentary Cinematographer Award was awarded to Saumyananda Sahi for the film ‘Rangbhoomi’. The award comprises a certificate and Rs 50,000. The award was instituted by cinematographer Navroze Contractor.

Famous sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman was the chief guest at the function. State Chalachithra Academy Vice-chairman Gandhimathi Balan, secretary Rajendran Nair, film director Joshy Mathew, festival artistic director Beena Paul and jury members were present. Earlier, 27 films were screened on Tuesday.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / July 23rd, 2014

Thrissur:

An investigative report has brought it to the light that legendary poet Vailoppilli’s ancestral land worth crores of rupees has been swindled, fabricating a fraudulent pension committee.

The poet’s wife was tricked into believing that an old age home was to be constructed, and had her palming off land, while in fact, a motel was built up, the report said.

It has also been revealed that this motel, intentionally misconstrued as an old age home, was used in favour of the swindlers to extract lakhs of rupees as grant from the government.

The report by social rights department has held the Kerala State Service Pensioners Union’s Ollukkara block committee leadership responsible for this fraud act. Manorama News has obtained a copy of the report.

The swindling happened in 1999 when organisers of the pension committee approached Vailoppilly’s wife, Bhanumathi teacher, claiming that they were building a modern old-age home. She donated 57 cents of land for the cause. The donation that was made in the name of the mother concern was later changed to ‘Kerala State Service Pensioners Union of Ollukkara’, and Bhanumathi teacher’s request to return the property was denied.

The government is deceived as well, since the procurement of the grant is shown to be for building an old-age home. In the report shared by the district collector, it’s also suggested that the vigilance take up the case.

source: http://www.beta.english.manoramaonline.com / ManoramaOnline / Home> News> Kerala / by Manorama’s Correspondent / Monday – July 21st, 2014

The College of Fine Arts has a unique place in Indian art history as the origin point of a short-lived movement that still produces reverberations once in a while – the radical arts movement.

Fuelled by post-Emergency political fervour, a group of students from the college set out to produce a proletarian art movement that eschewed the existing visual styles.

The flames of rebellion were lighted by K.P. Krishnakumar, a student of the college in the 1970s, then practising his art in Baroda. Inspired by his call for change, college students Alexander, Hareendran, C.K. Rajan, Pradeep, and Jyothi Basu organised a camp among the fisherfolk of Vettukad with the help of a few liberation theology activists.

New avenues

Living with the fishing families for weeks and teaching them art through slideshows and then by making them the subject of their work in various mediums, the group opened new avenues in people’s art. These young artists then came together with other seniors from the college such as Alex Mathew, Pushkin E.H., K.M. Madhusudhan, K. Prabhakaran, and the sole non-Malayali Anita Dube to form the Indian Radical Painters and Sculptors’ Association in 1987.

Krishnakumar penned the group’s manifesto along with Anita Dube. It was a time of student protests against the policies of the government and in the college that of the administration, and it was all reflected in their programme. They questioned even the ‘retrogressive’ sensibilities of the Lalit Kala Akademi.

“The lack of guidance and the disruption of regular teaching had left us in search of possibilities through reading, looking, thinking, and interacting with each other. The discovery of great figures of world art who have meaningfully responded to their respective socio-political situations gave scope for us to expand our visual sensibilities. It is on the basis of this exposure to world art that our attitude against decadence in art and resistance to it began to evolve,” says the manifesto.

Their ‘Questions and dialogues’ exhibition at the Kozhikode Town Hall was marked by public participation and shook the art world. At the Victoria Terminus railway station in Mumbai, they protested against the art auction planned by Sotheby’s in 1987, and campaigned against crass commercialisation.

But just when they were on the rise, they were cut short by internal contradictions and the untimely death of Krishnakumar at the age of 30. He committed suicide during an artists’ camp in 1989.

At the Kochi Muziris Biennale in 2012, the old radicals came together to remember their fallen comrade. Two of his sculptures were also put on display at the Durbar Hall, but only a few knew the tragic story behind it.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by  S. R. Praveen / Thiruvananthapuram – July 16th, 2014

Renowned Malayalam filmmaker J. Sasikumar (86), who holds the record of making 141 films in his career spanning over three decades, died in Kochi on Thursday.

Renowned Malayalam filmmaker J. Sasikumar (86), who holds the record of making 141 films in his career spanning over three decades, died here on Thursday.

Born Nambiathuseril Varkey John in Alappuzha, Sasikumar was credited with having made the highest number of films with the same lead actor and same lead team, and the highest number of films in a year.

The director also holds the record of having worked with Prem Nazir, the late popular hero, in 84 films. Winner of the Kerala State government’s J.C.Daniel award for lifetime achievement in cinema for the year 2012, Sasikumar’s  first film Kudumbini hit the silver screen in 1964.

Some of his notable movies include Thommante Makkal, Love in Kerala and Choola. He had also acted in small roles in movies like Vishappinte Vili and Velakkaran before foraying in to direction.

Sasikumar had lived in Chennai for most of his life before shifting to Ernakulam  a year back. He is survived by two daughters.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – July 17th, 2014