Guwahati, Oct 25: Anur (Eyes on the Sunshine), an Assamese language film by Monjul Baruah has been selected for the prestigious International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).
Anur got the official selection in the 'Indian Cinema Now' section along with the six best contemporary Indian films.
The 27th edition of the IFFK will be held from December 9 to 16 in Thiruvananthapuram.
"We are really excited and happy about the development. IFFK is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious film festivals not just in India but across Asia. This means a lot for us," director Monjul Baruah told The Assam Tribune.
Acclaimed actor Rajat Kapoor has played a role in the film along with Boloram Das, Jahanara Begum, Udayan Duarah Bibhuti Bhushan Hazarika, Rajjashree Sharma and Bidya Bharati among others.
The story is about an aged widow who is a retired teacher living alone in the house built by her late husband and for whom the house and everything associated with it, are inseparable from the memories of her husband she carries through her lonely days and nights.
One day she comes across a trespasser who happens to be a widower and this suspicious intruder, through some happenings, comes across to her as a person whom she badly needs to break open the shell of her claustrophobic life, to whom she wants to confide her fear and desire.
It is based on a short story by Anuradha Sharma Pujaree. "Anuradha Sharma Pujaree has always been one of the few Assamese writers I read for a nuanced understanding of the society I belong to. With my father's death barely a month behind when I was contemplating a new project, the producer handed me a copy of a story by the novelist. I was stunned by the uncanny coincidence of the central character being a sensitive widow and my perception of my mother's state of mind in the aftermath of my father's death," Baruah said recalling how it started.
"Suddenly Anuradha baideu's that story made me empathize with several other widows of my acquaintance. I immediately felt connected to what I took as the subject of the story and so to speak I got hit by the idea of filming the story."
The film is produced by Gopendra Mohan Das.
The International Film Festival of Kerala:
IFFK, one of the prominent film festivals of India is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala.
Over the years, the IFFK has come to be known as Asia's one of the best managed and also the world's one of the most people-centred film festivals. The festival charms the best films, renowned directors, technicians and spectators from across the globe and is acknowledged as one of the leading cultural events in India.
The festival aims at presenting a competition section exclusively for films from Asian, African and Latin American countries and a selection of the best of World Cinema. The IFFK also showcases the best of Malayalam cinema for international viewers.
