For Thiruvanathapuram (Trivandrum), the city hosting IFFK, it is an occasion to recharge itself with glimpses of life from around the world. After thirteen years, the local has gone global! As a student I hear many anecdotes about the festival from my teachers and friends. This is my first time as a delegate, and I had a strange but rewarding encounter. It was while I was sipping a tea at the local fast-food joint, a 'thattukada' as we call it.These 'thattukada' guys make a living appeasing the hunger and thirst of festival buffs. With enticing and mouth watering treats they succeed in distracting the attention of film fanatics. A guy at one of the joints near the main venue even has many offers at hand. He tried to strike a deal with our group of ten students. For a cash deposit of Rupees 500 he will see to it that we have the energy to survive the entire festival. A lucrative deal indeed.
We dismissed this as a joke, an easy way to earn fast bucks. But this guy did not stop there. While settling our accounts he asked me very nonchalantly if I have seen The Blackboard (Takhté siah, 2000) and not to miss it if I have not. Even though it was a gimmick it did give me a momentary shock. As far as we hard core movie buffs are concerned Samira Makhmalbaf is a household name. But coming from a guy like him was quite a shock. And that is Kerala for you!
This annual celebration of moving images is also an annual bonanza for him. Apart from money, the festival also brings him many other profits. These joints are venues to many a heated discussion on cinema and I think any film critic will have a few worthy lessons to learn from here. Cinema does transcend barriers, even though we may not notice many.
Swetha Antony
© FIPRESCI 2008
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