We’ve taken only the work of art into consideration, not the people behind it: Vijayakrishnan

When we contacted film critic and jury member Vijayakrishnan, he says, “Ranjith’s decision not to screen his film is a foolish one. I want to ask Ranjith whether he has watched the films included in the competition category. There are filmmakers who believe that the films they make are only fit for awards and competitions. But this is the jury’s decision. This time 80 per cent of films that will be screened for the festival are by newcomers.There are hardly one or two filmmakers who are not new.
The two films selected in the competition category are Siddharth Siva’s Zahir and Sajin Baabu’s Asthamayam Vare.“We have taken only the work of art into consideration, not the people behind it. The films we saw fall into two categories this time — good and bad, there is no middle category. If you critically analyse the movies given for selection, all of them fall in different categories. Various genres can be seen this time at the IFFK. Zahir and Asthamayam Vare have an abstract behaviour; Alif falls under a realistic category and 1983 is an entertainer,” he says.
The jury member also added that more controversies are yet to come and that director Rajasenan is offended that his film, Wound, is not included in the festival. “It is true that a commercial filmmaker has attempted a serious cinema, but finally it is the jury’s decision and they should respect it,” he says.