The second edition of the Kerala Film Market (KFM), which will offer a platform for knowledge-sharing and commercial opportunities for film professionals, will open at Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
Organised as a precursor to the prestigious International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which begins on Friday, the KFM is a commercial experiment the film fraternity tried out last year during the IFFK. The outcome of the first edition was not much to boast of, as the KFM was in its infancy. This year, however, the organisers are all geared up to make the event more effective.
In collaboration with the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (KSCA), the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) has designed the three-day event to be more professional and focused. KSCA chairman Premkumar said KFM 2024 aimed to connect the creative and commercial aspects of film-making, providing filmmakers with access to advanced knowledge and diverse business prospects.
The event includes masterclasses, workshops, and business-to-business (B2B) meetings led by renowned international film professionals. Among the highlights are a masterclass on co-production and fundraising by Ingrid Lill Hogtun, managing director of Barentsfilm AS, and an interactive session on global sales strategy by Keiko Funato of Celluloid Dreams.
To be embedded with a variety of B2B meetings and workshops, the event is expected to have the active presence of experts in film commerce from abroad in contrast to last year's
dull business-to-business meetings. The second edition is expected to learn from last year's mistakes. Going by what Premkumar says, the KFM will bring together the commercial and
scholarly aspects of filmmaking. The focus would be on easy access to cutting-edge information and business prospects in a variety of film-related activities.
“Masterclasses, workshops, and B2B meetings hosted by international film professionals would be the highlight of the event which extends up to three full days at the Tagore Theatre, Chitranjali
Studio and Kalabhavan Theatre in the capital city,” a KSCA official said. Speakers from India and abroad, including seasoned producer Golda Sellam; filmmaker Shaji N Karun; animation and visual effects industry veteran Ashish S. Kulkarni; prominent film producer Ravi Kottarakkara; and others will be part of the event this year.
However, it looks like the KFM platform would need more days--that roll in parallel with the IFFK screenings and expert sessions--to be effective. The fact that the KFM this year would end on the day the IFFK screenings begin, on December 13, would mean the KFM's final day might get eclipsed.
The Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), which will be guiding the
KFM proceedings, believes this year's KFM would take off on a bigger scale, leaving behind last year's teething troubles. According to KSFDC chairman and ace filmmaker Shaji N Karun, the global commercial potential of Malayalam cinema is sure to get a fillip through the Kerala Film Market.
