Mohammad Rasoulof to Chair Kerala Jury as ‘Palestine 36’ Opens Fest

The 30th International Film Festival of Kerala has unveiled its opening night film, jury chair and lifetime achievement recipient ahead of its upcoming edition in Thiruvananthapuram.

Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, who was forced into exile following his recent legal troubles in Iran, will serve as jury chair for the international competition. Joining him on the jury are Spanish actor Ángela Molina, Vietnamese filmmaker and writer Bùi Thạc Chuyên, Malaysian filmmaker Edmund Yeo, and British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri.

Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36” will open the festival.

Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako will receive the fest’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Five of Sissako’s films will screen at the festival: “Life on Earth” (1999), “Waiting for Happiness” (2002), “Bamako” (2006), “Timbuktu” (2014) and “Black Tea” (2024). The Lifetime Achievement Award, introduced in 2009, is bestowed upon a filmmaker who has made significant contributions to cinema. The first recipient was Mrinal Sen. Other awardees include Jean-Luc Godard, Werner Herzog, Fernando Solanas, Alexander Sokurov, Jiří Menzel, Majid Majidi and Béla Tarr.

The Fipresci jury comprises writer, publisher and film programmer Christopher Small film, television and pop-culture critic and broadcaster Ashanti Omkar, and film critic, poet and translator Aparajita Pujari.

The Netpac jury features director, editor and sound engineer Upali Gamlath, and filmmaker and producer Supriya Suri.

The festival will also showcase 16 past Golden Crow Pheasant winners in a special section celebrating the fest’s highest recognition for cinematic excellence. Films include Hou Hsiao-hsien’s “Flowers of Shanghai,” Nabil Ayouch’s “Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets,” Asghar Farhadi’s “About Elly,” Annemarie Jacir’s “Wajib,” Mohamed Diab’s “Clash” and Jayaraj’s “Ottal,” among others.

IFFK takes place Dec. 12-19. The Kerala Film Market runs Dec. 13-16.