The 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which will be held at the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram from December 9-16, 2011, will feature a special programme of football films in partnership with the New York based Kicking + Screening (K+S) Film Festival.
This is following the footsteps of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa which screened 'Soccer in Cinema' programme in their latest edition. With the association of IFFK and K+S, an opportunity has unfolded for the football and movie buffs in Kerala to catch glimpse of some of the finest works on football that has been produced.
The growing popularity of football in India is undeniable, and K+S is thrilled to be invited to showcase some incredible films for India’s football fans,” K+S co-director Greg Lalas said. “Football is about much more than bending a freekick like Beckham. It has a complex, passionate history. It’s our hope that the K+S program at IFFK reflects this richness, broadening the discussion among India’s football fans and helping reveal the many local stories that make football the world’s game.”
The K+S program at IFFK 2011 will showcase seven soccer-themed films from around the world. Official selections include:
- Soka Afrika: an unsentimental look at the trafficking of African players to Europe. Winner of the “Golden Whistle” Jury Award at K+S New York 2011
- The Game of Their Lives: the inside story of North Korea’s 1966 World Cup campaign
- Garuda do Dadaku: perseverance of a young boy to play soccer, defying his grandfather
- En Fuera De Juego: a comic look at dashed football dreams and agents angling for a rising Argentine star
- Will: an orphan journeys across Europe to the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul
- The Two Escobars: the fatal, intertwined fates of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and Colombian football star Andres Escobar
- Two Halftimes in Hell: a decisive match between prisoners of war and German soldiers during World War II
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Image not recoveredKicking & Screening Soccer Film Festival was founded in 2009 as an annual New York-based event that brings together soccer and film enthusiasts to celebrate the beautiful game as expressed on film.
It then expanded to other US cities in 2010 and also conducted their first overseas fest at Amsterdam last year and more recently at London in September 2011. The IFFK football series is K+S's first endeavour in Asia, following successful festivals in Amsterdam and London in 2011.
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The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is a yearly event organized by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. The festival is recognized by the FIAPF thus making it part of a prestigious circle of specialized festivals. The 16th edition of IFFK will be held at Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala from 9th - 16th December 2011.
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From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Thursday 1 December 2011, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.