Vidhu Vincent is the first woman director from Kerala to make it to the competition category of the IFFK with her film, ‘Manhole’, which deals with the atrocities faced by manual scavengers in Kerala.
The film is inspired by the story of Ravi Kumar, an auto driver, whose ancestors were manual scavengers, a community whose existence is conveniently denied by both the government and the public.
Directed, produced and written by Santwana Bardoloi, an accomplished radio and theatre actress from Assam, ‘Midnight Keteki’ is another film to be selected under the International competition category.
Selection of French film maker and actress Mia Hansen Love as the ‘Contemporary Filmmaker in Focus’ reinforces the presence of women film makers in the 21st IFFK.
Mia Hansen’s five movies — including ‘All is Forgiven’, ‘Father of My Children’ and ‘Things to Come’ — have been selected in this category.
Another highlight of the IFFK is ‘Daisies’ directed by Vera Chytilova.
The film, a remarkable work of 1966, laid the foundation for the Czech New Wave movement. The film was banned by the Czech Government for “depicting the wanton”.
