THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was a day that marked the beginning of the 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). The first screening kicked off at the Kairali theatre at 8.45 am on Friday with the Thai/China/Singapore movie ‘Breakfast Lunch Dinner’ directed by Kaz Cai, Wang Jing and Anocha Auwichakornpong. As it was the opening day, there lacked an enthusiasm at the venue. Many had no idea about what was in store for them on the first day owing to the non-availability of the festival guide. Some had downloaded copies of the schedule from the internet, but the absence of a synopsis left many confused. Lakshmi V S, a BEd student who had come to watch a movie, asked: “How can I decide to watch a movie without knowing what it is all about?".One of the trademarks of IFFK delegates, the cloth bag, too was found missing with many. At the Sree theatre, the show started exactly 15 minutes after the screening in Kairali had commenced. ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ by Mike Nichols, the black and white movie from USA, was screened here. Both cine halls had empty chairs in the balcony. The picture was diametrically opposite at Kalabhavan, where ‘Lucky’ directed by Avie Luthra in the World Cinema category was shown. Both the interior and exterior of the theatre had the same look with long queue of delegates. Some expressed their disgust at not having received their delegate passes on time. A disappointed delegate pointed out: “At least an alternative facility should have been arranged until the passes are delivered to the delegates so that they can watch movies.” Though some were not so happy at the glitches from the part of the organising committee, others were very happy with the packages announced. According to J Devika, a professor at the Centre for Development Studies, “the packages are fantastic. I am confused on what to select and when to watch.” Rajani R from Kattakkada was eager to watch the Philippines package containing a set of seven movies. Jithin George Mathew, who works as an assistant director in short films, said: “Our state has got many talented football players, yet the football aficionados are not that accustomed to movies based on the game. Hope ‘Kicking and Screening’ offers something to the film lovers-cum-football fans,” he concluded.
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