Waheeda Rahman to inaugurate 15th IFFK

New Delhi: Waheeda Rehman, one of the most prominent actresses of the golden era, will inaugurate the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) at Thiruvananthapuram on December 10.

As many as 200 films from 83 countries in 16 categories will be screened in the 15th edition of of the film festival. The festival will have retrospective of TV Chandran and German film maker Rainer Werner Fassibinder.

The Contemporary masters section will include five films each of French film maker Oliver Assayas, Mexican director Maria Novaro and Thai film maker Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

Bicentennial, a special category to mark the 200th anniversary of Latin American Independence, will feature 8 films from the continent.

There will be a special category of films based on the Spanish dance forms, Flamenco, including four films by Carlos Saura. Twelve films from Forget Africa, a project of the Rotterdam Festival, have been included in this edition.

There will also be a section dedicated to the Managa Cartoons from Japan. Apart from this 8 other Japanese films have also been included in the Japanese Masters section. Spirit of Independence, a category dedicated to the films by African-American film makers is another feature of the IFFK.

The section will also showcase five films by woman film makers focusing on the issue of racial discrimination.

Renowned German filmmaker Werner Herzog will be awarded the lifetime achievement award for his contributions in the inaugural ceremony. Festival will also feature 5 films by Werner Herzog.

The festival will come to an end on December 17.