Three scripts have been selected for production under State funding this year as part of a government initiative to make the film industry more inclusive.
B 32 Muthal 44 Vare , entered by Sruthi Namboothiri, won the top spot in the category of film projects helmed by women directors.
Screenplays for Ariku , submitted by V. S. Manoj, and Pirathi entered by Arun J. Mohan, stood first and second respectively in the category of directors from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, a new section introduced this year, Minister for Cultural Affairs and Cinema Saji Cherian said here on Wednesday. The second film in the women directors’ category will be announced shortly.
The selected projects stand to receive a funding of up to ₹1.5 crore. The films will be produced by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC). Work on them would kick off soon, the Minister said, expressing hope that the finished works would bring laurels for Malayalam cinema.
Multi-stage process
The screenplays were selected through a multi-stage process. Entries invited through newspaper ads were scrutinised by a panel of noted scriptwriters. Shortlisted candidates from both categories were then invited to attend separate screenplay workshops. They were required to submit treatment notes, which were assessed by a panel headed by director Dr. Biju. The final scripts were assessed by a jury headed by John Paul.
The State government had launched the initiative in 2019-20 for women directors as part of making the film industry more gender-inclusive. Nishiddho (Forbidden) , the winning entry last year, written and directed by Tara Ramanujan, has received invitations from various film festivals in India and abroad, said Mr. Cherian. Divorce , directed by Mini I. G., which had stood second, will hit the theatres soon, he said.
Nishiddho has also been selected to the international competition section of the 26th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).
The State government decided to introduce a section for directors hailing from SC/ST communities as their presence in film direction was small. “The government was also prompted by the realisation that they faced invisible hurdles in this field,” Mr. Cherian said.
