IFFK 2025 to Showcase 200+ Films From 70 Countries as 30th Edition Begins Dec 12

The 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is all set to dazzle cinephiles in Thiruvananthapuram from December 12 to 19, with a lineup of over 200 films from nearly 70 countries, marking an increase of around 30 movies compared to previous editions.

The festival, organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, will hold screenings across 16 theatres, including an additional venue to accommodate the growing scale.

The prestigious Spirit of Cinema Award will be presented to Canadian filmmaker Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, honouring courageous women filmmakers who use cinema to challenge injustice.

Fyffe-Marshall, acclaimed for her films that confront racial prejudice, such as Haven (2018) and the short film Black Bodies (2020), will receive a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a statuette, and a citation.

She is also the co-founder of Make Ripples, a non-profit promoting activism and racial justice through storytelling. Her 2025 short film Demons was featured at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The festival will showcase a diverse selection, including 14 films in the International Competition, 12 in Malayalam Cinema Today, seven in Indian Cinema Now, over 60 in World Cinema, and eight in Kaleidoscope. Additional sections include Female Focus, Midnight Cinema, and Restored Classics.

Special tributes will celebrate cinematic legacies, including a four-film centenary tribute to Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak and homage screenings for Shaji N. Karun and M.T. Vasudevan Nair.

The Country Focus will spotlight Vietnam, marking the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War with five films. A retrospective of three films by Hindi filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza is also planned.

The festival expects participation of over 13,000 delegates and 200 film professionals, bringing the total number of attendees, including filmmakers, officials, sponsors, and media representatives, to approximately 15,000.

Three major exhibitions will complement the screenings: IFFK Experiencia, tracing three decades of the festival; a Ritwik Ghatak centenary exhibition in collaboration with the West Bengal Department of Information & Cultural Affairs; and a showcase of artist-art director Namboothiri’s location sketches, supported by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and the Artist Namboothiri Samman Trust.

Interactive sessions such as the Open Forum, In Conversation, Meet the Director, and the Aravindan Memorial Lecture will further enrich the festival, alongside cultural programs at Manaveeyam Veedhi, the city’s cultural corridor.

Awards will be presented at the closing ceremony on December 19, with the Suvarna Chakoram (Best Film) carrying a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh. Other honours include the Rajata Chakoram for Best Director (Rs 4 lakh), Best Début Director (Rs 3 lakh), the Audience Prize (Rs 2 lakh), and the FFSI K.R. Mohanan Endowment Award for Best Indian Début Director (Rs 1 lakh), alongside awards instituted by FIPRESCI and NETPAC.

Since its inception in 1994 in Kozhikode, IFFK has grown into a prominent international platform celebrating cinematic excellence and social consciousness.

The 30th edition promises to be a grand celebration of global cinema, honouring artistic brilliance and the power of storytelling to challenge and inspire.