Adoor Gopalakrishnan, 64, is one of the leading directors of New Indian Cinema that emerged during the 1970s. He is one of India’s foremost film-makers who has carried on the cinematic legacy of Satyajit Ray. The first ever retrospective of his work in the U.K comes to Watermans Arts Centre from Friday 16 - Sunday 18 June 2006. The director will be present for a Question & Answer session after the screenings.

Adoor Gopalakrishnan comes from an artistic family that practised Kathakali and was interested in theatre. He originally studied Political Science and later went to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. He introduced a new cinema culture in Kerala by creating a first film society in the state as well as founding the Chitralekha Film Co-operative in Trivandrum to help in the production and distribution of non-commercial films. Ideologically inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, he was influenced by the works of Satyajit Ray.

His first feature, Swayamvaram (One’s Own Choice, 1974), pioneered the new wave cinema movement in Kerala and won the National Award for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Photography and Best Actress. Since then his films have been screened internationally and been critically acclaimed.

A master in the film field, the films remain firmly rooted in traditional Kerala village life but portray subjects from politics, religion, the changing nature of the middle-classes and the struggle between individual and society. Although the stories are firmly located within Malayali culture, these human stories focus on universal concerns.

“While making films I am not concerned about strictly contemporary day-to-day issues. Any good film has to survive the period of its making. It has to go beyond today and be relevant tomorrow. I am very particular about that. As a result these films don’t age, I hope. They remain contemporary.”

Adoor Gopalakrishnan draws upon the history and aesthetics of Kerala and the stories are often set within the structures of fairy tale and myth to explore darker aspects of society and existence with candour.

“Ideas come from life, what you have been living through and what you have observed. Creativity defies simple definitions and explanations. The mysterious and unknown element of it is what makes it ever exciting and interesting.”

Over a 35 year career Gopalakrishnan has made around 21 feature films; 35 documentaries and also written several plays and books on cinema. In recognition for his services to cinema, the Government of India awarded him Indian Cinema’s highest honour, the Dabasaheb Phalke Award (2004) and he has just received India’s second highest civilian honour, Padma Vibhushan.

The films selected for this festival are all written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan and the director will be present for a Question & Answer session.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Fri 16 Jun • 8.15pm
Elippathayam (The Rat Trap)
1981/India/Malayalam with English subtitles/121mins
Cast: Karamana Janardhanan Nair, Sharada, Jalaja, Rajam K Nair, Soman

The director’s first colour film is an allegory about the collapse of the feudal system in Kerala. Elippathayam received the British Film Institute award for the most ‘original and imaginative film’ shown at the National Film Theatre, 1982

Sat 17 Jun • 8.30pm
Vidheyan (The Servile)
1994/India/Malayalam with
English subtitles/112mins
Cast: Mammootty, M R Gopakumar, Tanvi Azmi, Savita Anand

The film explores the master-slave dialectic in a South Karnataka setting. Vidheyan won the Kerala State Awards for Best Film, Best Director & Best Actor. It also received the FIPRESCI Prize at Rotterdam International Film Festival, 1995.

Sun 18 Jun • 6pm
Kathapurushan (Man of the Story)
1995/India/Japan Malayalam with
English subtitles/107mins
Cast: Vishwanthan, Mini,
Aranmula Ponnamma, Urmila Unni

A dramatic account of Kerala’s history mirrored through the life of the main protagonist, Kunjunni, who though born into a feudal family gets drawn towards Marxism and communism as an adult. Beautifully lit with a compelling narrative, Kathapurushan won the National Film Award for Best Film in 1996.

Sun 18 Jun • 8.00pm
Nizhalkkuthu (Shadow Kill)
2002/India/France, Malayalam with English subtitles/91 mins
Cast: Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Sukumari, Murali

Set in the 1940s, this is a moving drama about Kaliyappan, the last hangman of Travancore state. He struggles with guilt at the executions he obediently caries out and drinks to forget his cursed livelihood. He consoles himself by the thought that it is Kali makes him carry out her wishes. His son, a follower of Gandhi is against his father’s profession until the tale of a condemned man changes their destiny forever. The film won the FIPRESCI Prize, 2003.