The film that revolutionized Malayalam cinema is turning 50 this year. Adoor Gopalakrishnan swayamvaram Five decades after its release and the National Film Awards has lost its freshness or relevance.
It is one of the films gearing up for an online festival organized by the Kerala Chapter of Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) to celebrate the master director’s fifties in cinema. The festival runs till June 28 and you can watch some of Adoor’s films, including swayamvaramwithout any cost.
You can watch classics like Ellipthayam, Kodiyattam, Anantharam, Vidheyan And mathilukal In excellent quality, according to P. Premachandran, who is coordinating the festivities for FFSI.
“Adoor has given us Blu-ray copies of his films, which we have converted into digital files for streaming,” says Premachandran. “We always try to get the best available prints of those films, but if we get them from the directors themselves then our job becomes easier.”
Apart from Adoor’s films, two documentaries directed by prominent Kannada filmmakers Girish Kasaravalli and Vipin Vijay are also being screened. The movies will be available for viewing on ffsikeralam.online any time during the festival and for a few days thereafter. Each film will be submitted by a critic.
The federation has organized many festivals over the years. “We started with an Indian panorama during the COVID-induced lockdown,” says Premachandran. “Then we also had an international film festival. There have also been festivals dedicated to Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak. We have also included Malayalam subtitles for the films.”
The response has been overwhelming for the festivals, he says. “We have audiences for festivals in about 30 countries,” he says. “Our aim is to bring quality cinema to our audience. Though it started as an initiative during the lockdown, we thought that we can continue it even after the theaters open.”
After organizing festivals of films directed by KG George, KP Kumaran and TV Chandran, the federation plans to showcase more Malayalam film directors. “We want festivals of filmmakers like G. Aravindan, Pavitraan and Lenin Rajendran,” says Premachandran.