IFA@Thrissur | International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFOK) 2020 | January 20 – 29, 2020

India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) presents 4 films
at International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFOK) 2020
January 20 – 29, 2020

organised by

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Campus, Chembukkavu, Thrissur - 680 020, Kerala

Join us for the screening of 4 IFA supported films at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFOK) 2020, organised by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi from January 20 to 29, 2020.

Films supported by IFA

The Nine Months
Director: Merajur Rahman Baruah
77 Minutes | Assamese with English subtitles
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 | 08:15 PM | Alternative Space 1

This is an evocative film that explores the history, form, style and aesthetics of Assam’s mobile theatre. It records the transformation in themes and repertoires in the genre of performance, captures the experience and perspectives of its promoters, directors, actors, technicians, and stagehands and documents the impact of globalisation on its practice. It explores the various kinds of plays staged by the mobile theatre, the issues they deal with and how the genre has transformed from presenting mythological and folk stories to contemporary themes with social and political implications.

Mayabazar
Director: KM Madhusudhanan
60 minutes | Telugu with English subtitles
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 | 08:45 PM | Alternative Space 1

This is a film on Surabhi, a 120-year old travelling theatre company from Andhra Pradesh. Envisaged as a journey with the repertory company, the film, examines the everyday activities of these travelling actors and their families, rehearsals, exercises, the staging of the plays based on the epics and the puranas, the audience, sets, make-up and costume design. The film also explores the traces of Parsi theatre, silent cinema from the Phalke era and the paintings of Ravi Verma in the design of the theatre company’s sets and costumes.

Kshurasyadhara
Director: Vipin Vijay
30 minutes | Malayalam with English subtitles
Sunday, January 26, 2020 | 09:15 PM | Alternative Space 1

The Komaram or the Velichappadu – an oracle of the Hindu tradition in Kerala – is not much known outside the state. He has made a digital video documentary on this oracular tradition. The film probes the collective dimension of ritual performance as well as critiques its contemporary aesthetic functions. The film also inquires into the possible neurological and scientific aspects of trance.

Pala
Director: Gurvinder Singh
83 minutes | Punjabi with English subtitles
Tuesday, 28 January, 2020 | 08:15 PM | Alternative Space 1

The film is a profile of Pala, a storyteller from Punjab. It deals with the diversity of the centuries old storytelling and musical tradition of which he is a part, but a tradition which is rapidly on decline. Pala claims to belong to no particular faith and can with ease transform himself and his musical talent to suit the needs of the space where he is performing. What he represents is a kind of folk religion, which has assimilated the traits of all the three principal faiths of Punjab, namely Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam.

Click here for the full festival schedule.