THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Noted documentary maker Anand Patwardhan has been selected for the first Lifetime achievement award in connection with the 11th edition of the International Documentary Short Film Festival of Kerala to begin here on Friday.

It’s for the first time in India a film festival is getting an opportunity to send an Oscar entry, said Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal.

Patwardhan will get a purse of Rs 2 lakh and a plaque. The eleventh edition of the IDSFFK, organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, is scheduled from July 20 to 24. The festival will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Only documentaries and films made in India are eligible for the national-level competition.

Replying to allegations regarding the selection procedure, Kamal said no cinema was excluded due to personal reasons.

The selections were made by a committee entrusted for the task. The academy has no role in the selection. The committee rejected 14 films due to the same narrative style, said Kamal.206 films in various languages will be screened in different categories during the fete to be organised at Kairali, Sree and Nila theatres.

The inaugural film to be screened will be a Chinese documentary of 140-minute duration called ‘Human Flow’ directed by Ai Weiwei. 64 films are selected for the competition which includes long and short documentary and campus films. 13 music videos and 9 animation films will be also be screened. Engaging with Sexualities, an absorbing package of five short films produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust will also be screened.

More than panel discussions with filmmakers, critics and curators, workshops, technical sessions and media interactions will be held to make it a lively festival. As many as 850 delegates have already registered. Delegate pass registration can be done at www.idsffk.in. Seniors and children will get concession in the registration fee.

The delegate cards will be available at the academy office from July 19.

Film awards distribution on August 8

Kamal also announced that this year’s State Film Awards distribution will be on August 8 at Nishagandhi. The Academy will also organise a Navathi festival where classic Malayalam films will be screened.