Mollywood films that premiered at the 27th edition of IFFK 2022

For more than 25 years, cinephiles have gathered at the International Film Festival of Kerala to celebrate the best films the silver screen has to offer from all over the world. This year’s edition of IFFK, the 27th edition of the renowned festival, kicked off at Thiruvananthapuram on December 9, 2022. Over 180 films from over 70 different nations were shown throughout the festival on 14 screens, providing cinephiles with a superb selection of films in a variety of genres and languages.

The “Malayalam Cinema Today” category, which offers a selection of recent thought-provoking Malayalam films, was one of the categories. Some iconic Malayalam films were shown in the “International Competition” section as well, while some Malayalam movies had their first Indian premieres at this year’s IFFK. These Malayalam films, which were shown at IFFK 2022, should be on your watch list as must-sees.

Vazhakk (The Quarrel)

Vazhakk, starring Tovino Thomas, Kani Kusruthi, and Sudev Nair, made its Indian premiere at the Malayalam Cinema Today section of this year’s IFFK. The Sanal Kumar Sasidharan tells the tale of a man who is about to get divorced but has a tragic encounter with Sathi and her daughter who is deaf.

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (Like an Afternoon Dream)

The film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery was shown at IFFK as a part of the International Competition segment. The movie, which features Mammootty, is about a man named James who begins acting like a Tamil native named Sundaram after halting a bus load of Malayali locals who are travelling back from Velankanni.

Pada

The film Pada is based on the true account of a group of radicals who decided to stage a violent protest to express their displeasure with the 1996 changes Kerala’s government made to the Adivasi (Aboriginals) Land Act. Amazon Prime Video has the movie Pada, which was directed by Kamal K M and stars Kunchacko Boban, Joju George, Vinayakan, and Dileesh Pothan. As a part of the Malayalam Cinema Today programme, Pada was shown at IFFK.

Freedom Fight

This anthology film is made up of five short stories about people in various situations who are bound together by their battle for freedom. Jeo Baby, Kunjila Mascillamani, Jithin Issac Thomas, Akhil Anilkumar, and Francies Louis are among the film’s directors. On SonyLIV, you may see Freedom Fight, which was shown as part of IFFK’s Malayalam Cinema Today programme.

Ariyippu (Declaration)

Both Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam and Ariyippu were exhibited in the segment for the international competition. The narrative of a Malayali couple working in a medical glove factory in Delhi is told in the Mahesh Narayanan-directed movie. When a mystery video surfaces, their lives are completely turned upside down. Kunchacko Boban and Mahesh Narayanan’s last project together since Take Off is Ariyippu, which also serves as the actor’s first direct-to-OTT release.

Vettapattikalum Ottakarum’ (The Hounds And The Runners)

The movie, which was directed by Rarish G, was shown under the Malayalam Cinema Today section. The story of the movie centres on topics of personal freedom infringement, which are more widespread in modern society. The film stars Athira Harikumar, Adith US, Shaji A John, Thomas George, Usha T T, and Esha Reshu.

DhabariQuruvi

The film was screened in the Malayalam Cinema Today section. The title of this Priyanandanan T R film alludes to a folktale about a sparrow that is oblivious to their father’s whereabouts. The film’s synopsis reads “The story of a naive tribal girl, who rises to proclaim her solitary rights on her body and decisions upon it”.