Time to celebrate the best

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Having enthralled movie-lovers for the past seven days, the 22nd edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala draws to a close on Friday.

Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac is slated to inaugurate the closing ceremony at the Nishagandhi open air auditorium at 6 pm.

Culture Minister A K Balan will preside over the function while Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran will be the guest of honour. V S Sivakumar MLA, District Panchayat President V K Madhu, Cultural Affairs Secretary Rani George, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (KSCA) chairman and festival director Kamal and KSCA secretary and executive director Mahesh Panju are scheduled to attend the function.

The organisers have kept the function to a minimum in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi. The award distribution ceremony and the screening of award-winning films will follow.

Sokurov to be honoured

Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Culture Minister.

The Golden Crow Pheasant Award (Suvarna Chakoram) for the best feature film, the Silver Crow Pheasant Award (Rajata Chakoram) for the best director and the Rajata Chakoram for the best debut director will be presented.

The film that gets voted as the best entry in competition by the festival delegates will receive the Audience Prize (Rajata Chakoram).

The FIPRESCI jury will award the best film selected by film critics and journalists and NETPAC will award the best Asian film in the competition.