NEWS
Panchajanyam International Film Festival 2012 Signature Film released
Chittur, Jan 20, 2012: The signature film of 5th Panchajanyam International Film Festival was released today at Chitur. The signature film can be viewed here.
Panchajanyam International Film Festival 2012 inaugurated
Chittur, Jan 20, 2012: The 5th Panchajanyam International Film Festival was inaugurated today by the noted film director, Shaji N. Karun, in front of a large audience. Speaking on the occasion, Shaji noted that cinema has a big role in the development of a society in modern times and such events as PIFF are very relevant. Other dignitaries that attended the event include MB Rajesh, MP of Palakkad, K. Achuthan, MLA of Chittur, KV Mohankumar, District Collector of Palakkad. In the function, prizes were awarded to the two best films from the short film contest conducted in association with the film festival. The festival will conclude on Jan 26th.
Panchajanyam International Film Festival 2012 announced
Chittur, Dec 21, 2011: Panchajanyam Film Society announced that the 5th annual Panchajanyam International Film Festival (PIFF-V) will be held from January 20-26, 2012 at The Chitranjali Theatre, Chittur. As is customary, the festival will contain a combination of feature films, world movies, documentaries, children;s films etc. The short film contest that was started off with PIFF 2011, will be conducted this year as well. Award winning Director, Shaju N. Karun, will inaugurate the festival on Jan 20th.
Panchajanyam International Film Festival starts off
Chittur, Jan 21, 2011: PIFF 2011 was inaugurated today by the famous Tamil writer, Charu Nivedita. He mentioned that Malayalam cinema has the potential to be ranked among the best in world cinema and stressed the need for governmental support to the industry. MG Sasi, movie director, K. Achuthan, MLA of Chittur and V. Sumathi, Chairperson of Chittur Municipality also spoke on the occasion. The inaugural ceremony was followed by a screening of MG Sasi’s “Janaki”.
Festival book for PIFF 2011 released
Palakkad, Jan 18, 2011: The festival book for the 2011 Panchajanyam International Film Festival was published here today Rajesh M.B., MP of Palakkad. The festival is on from January 21st to 27th at the Chitranjali Theatre, Chittur and will be inaugurated by the well known Tamil author, Charu Nivedita. The Convenor, Roopesh, informed that this year’s festival is dedicated to those suffering from negative effects of the pesticide Endosulphan and there will be a special screening of a documentary named “Unmarked Single Channel”, which is based on this subject.
There will be a special section dedicated to Tamil cinema and five movies that depict the progression of Tamil cinema over the decades, will also be exhibited. The closing ceremony will be held of January 27th and will be inaugurated by the District Collector, Mr. Mohan Kumar. Famed movie director, Syama Prasad, will be the Chief Guest.
Short Film Contest at PIFF 2011
Chittur, 24 Dec 2010: A contest for short films has been announced in connection with the 4th Panchajanyam International Film Festival. The contest is open for all short films made after January 1, 2007. The best film will be awarded a cash prize of Rs. 10,000/- and the second best film will get a cash prize of Rs. 5,000/-. These two films will also be exhibited at the Film Festival, to be held from January 21-27, 2011 at The Chitranjali Theatre, Chittur.
Application form and other details are available in the web site and the filled up application forms must reach The Convenor, Panchajanyam International Film Festival, Thekkegramam PO, Chittur-678 101, Palakkad (Ph: 09447493933), on or before January 10, 2011.
Panchajanyam International Film Festival 2011 announced
Palakkad, 14, December, 2010: Panchajanyam Film Society announced that the 4th annual Panchajanyam International Film Festival (PIFF-IV) will be held from January 21-27, 2011 at The Chitranjali Theatre, Chittur. The logo was published by renowned Kathakali musician, Sadanam Harikumar, who stressed the importance of cinema as a medium and its contribution to the development of society. The Chairman of the Film Festival, Mr. Jayapala Menon, mentioned that the festival will consist of a combination of feature films, world movies, documentaries and children’s movies, in addition to a special section devoted to the evolution of Tamil cinema. There will also be focused discussions and open forum sessions every day.
A talk on Sustainable Development
"Development" is a word that is deeply entrenched into the consciousness of an average Keralite these days. Elections are fought and lost on this platform and the society is fascinated by it. Yet, there is very little discussion on socially responsible development and the relevance of a holistic approach. In an effort to improve awareness on this most relevant subject, Panchajanyam organised a talk on this subject titled "An Introduction to Sustainable Development". Shri Jayaraj, a teacher and research student at the London School of Economics led the discussion. Jayaraj is from Chittur and is a long standing member of Panchajanyam. The program was held at Victoria Girls High School, Chittur on 28th February, 2010 and was attended by a serious and inquisitive group of people.
Panchajanyam International Film Festival 2010 Concluded
January 28th: PIFF 2010 concluded today at The Chitranjali Theatre, Chittur. The chief guest for the closing ceremony was the noted film director, Mr. MG Sasi. The final screening was the movie "Kancheevaram" by Priyadarshan and it ran to a packed house as the audience bid adieu for yet another PIFF. PIFF 2010 was acknowledged to be very successful be it in the selection of movies or in the participation of the public in open forums. Many noted personalities like Girish Kasaravalli, PT Kunhimuhammed, Priyanandanan, MG Sasi, Sebastian Paul, Sivan, Sohanlal, Prakash Bare, Mohan Kumar, TR Ajayan, VC Harris, Dr. Saradakutty, Vijayakrishnan, GP Ramachandran etc. attended the festival. The organisers closed the day with a promise to host an even better PIFF in 2011.
The Kerala Premiere of "Keshu" at PIFF, Day Three (Jan 24th)
The Kerala premiere of the movie "Kesu" directed by Mr. Sivan was conducted today at the Panchajanyam International Film Festival. A function was held to congratulate the Director and crew of the movie. Mr. Sivan is a well known director and cinematographer who has won may national and international awards. An interesting aspect of the movie is that the script has been written by the current District Collector of Palakkad, Mr. Mohan Kumar, IAS. Mr. CS Madhusudhanan welcomed all to the function and M/s. Jayapala Menon, TR Ajayan and Kalidas Puthumana felicitated the team behind the movie. Mr. Mohan Kumar spoke about the social relevance of libraries and film societies and their role in the development of a region. Mr. Sivan appreciated the efforts of Panchajanyam and thanked all for the wonderful words of encouragement.
Earlier in the day, Mr. VC Harris and Reji Damodaran participated in the Open Forum and led the discussions on the topic: “Social Pretensions of Malayalam Cinema”. The movies that were screened included “Oridath”, “Blindness” “Olga” and the national award winning documentary “Minukku”.
Dr. Saradakkutty speaks out at PIFF, Day Two (Jan 23rd)
At the Panchajanyam International Film Festival today, Dr. S. Saradakutty presented a paper on “Evolution of women characters in Malayalam cinema“. It was an in-depth dissertation on the plight of the Keralite woman as depicted in the silver screen and the total sidelining thereof. This has led to a relegation of women, “women oriented” stories and women audience to the TV and alienated them from mainstream cinema, said Dr. Saradakutty. Most movie directors have desisted from projecting woman and woman politics in the right light, yielding to the temptation of “classifiying” them into well-accepted cubicles, with the notable exceptions of KG George and Padmarajan. She spoke eloquently on the subject and a lively discussion followed with the well attended audience, led by the news co-ordinator, Mr. Mangad Ratnakaran.
The screenings today were “Abu according to Janaki”, “To Live”, “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Nammalenda Ingane”, “Ezhuthaatha kathukal”, “Harischandrachi Factory” and “Rithu”. The movies all had the common theme of the dispossessed and the disillusioned, who try to balance and find meaning in their existence.
Film Festival Inaugurated
The 3rd Panchajanyam International Film Festival PIFF 2010 was inaugurated on January 22nd at The Chitranjali Theatre, Chittur by the famous Kannada movie director, Mr. Gireesh Kasaravalli. The Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr. P. Jayapala Menon, presided over the function and the Convenor Mr. C. Rupesh described the details of the festival. Mr. TV Sasi and Ms. Sreerekha Krishnadas introduced the audience to the theme and the driving philosophy of the festival. Noted Malayalam film director, Mr. PT Kunhimohammed, Alathur MP, Mr. PK Biju, film producer and actor Mr. Prakash Bare, Chittur MLA, Mr. K. Achuthan, Chittur-Tattamangalam Municipal Corporation Chairman, Mr. KG Sekharannunni and Mr. K. Viswam also spoke at the function.
A press report in The Hindu can be seen at: www.hindu.com/2010/01/23/stories/2010012351400300.htm
More details on Panchajanyam International Film Festival 2010
PIFF 2010 will be inaugurated by noted Kannada Film Director Mr. Gireesh Kasaravalli; Mr. PT Kunhimuhammed, Mr. TV Chandran and Ms. Beena Paul will be the other main guests at the inaugural function.
The inaugural film will be 'Bhoomimalayaalam', which is directed by TV Chandran; there will be a total of 49 screenings in the festival, including 9 contemporary world films. Open forums will be attended by Dr.Sebastian Paul, Dr.S.Saradakkutty, Mr. CS Venkiteswaran, Mr. VK Joseph, Mr. VC Harris, Mr. Priyanandanan, Mr. I.Shanmukhadas, Mr. GP Ramachandran, Mr. Prakash Bare etc. Closing ceremony will be attended by Lenin Rajendran and MG Sasi.
A special function is organised to felicitate crew members of 'Keshu' including the director, Mr. Sivan and the film will be screened on 24th evening.