The International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) has decided to open its edition with a documentary on life in apartheid South Africa through the eyes of the first black independent photographer, Ernest Cole. To further underline its position in international affairs, the state that organises the festival has also chosen to present four films on the life of Palestinians. In this edition, the 16th since its launch in 2008, 335 films from 54 countries will be screened over six days between 26 and 31 July.

The opening film Ernest Cole: Lost and FoundThe film, directed by Raoul Peck, will be screened at the festival grounds, Kairali-Sree-Nila Theatre Complex, on the evening of July 26, after the day’s ceremonies. Local Government Minister MB Rajesh will inaugurate the festival and honour the Bedi brothers, Naresh and Rajesh Bedi, with the lifetime achievement award for their contribution to wildlife filmmaking.

The IDSFFK, a much more low-key festival than the larger one – the International Film Festival of Kerala, held every December in Thiruvananthapuram with thousands of delegates – is held without incident in the middle of the year, with a few hundred delegates, mostly students. This year, more than 750 delegates and 250 students have registered before the first day of the festival.

Students also have a section to submit their films, called Campus Films, which will feature eight films this year on topics such as bullying, relationships and trust. The festival has a competition section for documentaries, both feature and short, as well as short fiction. Among the feature-length documentaries in competition is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World Is Family) by veteran filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, a favourite with Kerala audiences whose films are often screened at festivals in the state. This one, unlike Anand’s celebrated works of Name Aries Ke to Reasoncontains oral histories from her family. Another film in the feature-length documentary section is by Nishtha Jain and Akash Basumataris. Cultivating the revolutionon the peasants’ protest.

Short documentaries and short fiction films have been selected from various genres and themes including gender, caste and colour based discrimination, migration etc. Indian languages ​​from Punjabi to Konkani, Tamil, Bengali and Marathi are included.

A six-member jury will judge the films in competition across all categories. Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Rakesh Sharma is the chairman of the non-fiction jury. Other members include film editor Jabeen Merchant and filmmaker Pankaj Rishi Kumar. The fiction category will be chaired by filmmaker Urmi Juvekar, along with filmmakers Pushpendra Singh and Krishand RK. A package at the festival will feature films by all of them, including Rakesh Sharma’s work on the politics of hate. Final solution (2004) – a film that was banned in the country in the past and later won the National Award. Krishan’s film ‘Bhagavathykaavile Paapikal’ (Sinners in the Abode of the Goddess) is also being screened.

The Palestinian package includes short films and documentaries that tell stories of resistance and resilience. The story of four generations of Palestinian women is told in Goodbye TiberiasDirected by Lina Soualem, who is the daughter of well-known actor Hiam Abbas. Heavy metalabout young Palestinian girls who defy the norms in a refugee camp, Palestinian Islandstold through a 12 year old boy, and The Roller, Life, the Fight The other films in the category deal with migration. The last edition of the IFFK also expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause with films and songs.

There is also a tribute section to four people who contributed immensely to cinema and passed away this year: director Kumar Shahani, film society activist Chelavoor Venu, filmmaker and journalist Sriyanka Ray and sound technician AM Padmanabhan.