Baby promises film festival complex

Baby promises film festival complex

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With a view to improving the infrastructure facilities for conducting festivals like the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) with more finesse, the government has completed the preparatory work for setting up a state-of-the-art festival complex here, Minister for Culture and Education M.A. Baby has said.

Inaugurating the valedictory function of the 15 {+t} {+h} edition of IFFK here on Friday evening, Mr. Baby said that land had been identified and funds allotted for constructing the complex. It would be set up soon.

Fund for artistes

A welfare fund for indigent artistes would come into being soon. The IFFK, over the years, had grown from strength to strength, but not without shortcomings, which would be rectified in due course. This was in spite of the pat to the organisational perfection from masters like Werner Herzog, he said.

Noted film-maker Mani Rathnam and his wife and actor Suhasini were the guests of honour. Mr. Rathnam said he was envious of IFFK which had emerged as a prominent event in the festival circuit of the country. But for the Kerala government, not many other governments were interested in fostering art and culture in the country. Festivals like IFFK would help bring cinema on a par with literature. The IFFK was a healthy blend of film-makers, organisers, artistes and the government, he said.

Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman K.R. Mohanan, vice-chairman V.K. Joseph, artistic director Beena Paul, and secretary K. Sreekumar were also present.