A
film festival is not just an occasion to view films,
but also one to remember and bring to life the past
of cinema. This is exactly what the retrospective
and homage sections do in a film festival. As an attempt
in a similar direction, as part of the IFFK 2008,
the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC)
and the Kerala State Chalachithra Accademy (KSCA)
have jointly organized an exhibition of photographs
on the history of Malayalam cinema. The exhibition
was inaugurated on the 13th of December by the eminent
Indian film director and jury member of IFFK, Dr.
Jabbar Patel, at the Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram.
The
exhibition displays memorable images of stars and
celebrities, photo stills from landmark films, shooting
stills, and the albums of events from the past IFFKs,
providing us glimpses into the history of Malayalam
cinema and IFFK. There are also exhibits describing
the timeline that maps the long and colorful journey
of Malayalam cinema. In addition, also on display
are some of the earliest pieces of equipment used
in filmmaking, like the old 10 KB lights that were
used in studio floors, a 16mm camera, the once very
popular Mitchell camera (the one that was used in
the making of the Malayalam blockbuster of all times
– Chemmeen), a slide projector, a Moviola editing
device, and so on.
The
arrangement of photographs takes the viewer on a journey
through history, one that begins from black-and-white
images and progresses to the colorful images of the
near present. It is a nostalgic trip through the various
facets of Malayalam cinema that also captures those
great narrative moments through the luminous expressions
of great actors. For the admirers of Adoor Gopalakrishnan,
there are some impressive working stills from his
sets.
Undoubtedly,
putting up such an exhibition is a very good way to
familiarize cineastes with Malayalam film history,
especially on the occasion of the film festival. But
unfortunately, the way it is organized leaves much
to be desired.
Though
more than 50,000 pictures are on display, the majority
are from the festival albums of previous years. One
would have expected more and more varied images from
different spheres of Malayalam cinema. Another shortcoming
is the lack of bilingual captions. Even in cases where
they are provided, the information given is sparse,
typically just the year, the title of the film and
its director. A few captions also mention the names
of the actors. More detailed captions would have been
of great benefit to film lovers and students of Malayalam
cinema, and even for the general film viewer. Even
the exhibits dealing with the various achievements
of Malayalam cinema are written only in Malayalam.
Another drawback is the remoteness of the venue of
exhibition from the theatres where the festival films
are screened. This could be one reason for the low
turnout of visitors to the show.
Despite
all these shortcomings, the exhibit is a significant
attempt and something to be pursued and expanded in
the coming years.
Rohini
Kumar
© FIPRESCI 2008
