Veteran director K. Balachander declared open the 5th Chennai International Film Festival on Friday, 14th December. The festival was inaugurated at Pilot theatre and was dedicated to the memories and dreams of filmmakers, past and present.
Organised by the Indo-Cine Appreciation Foundation, actors Sathyaraj and Khusbu were present at the function. The festival will screen more than 100 films from all over the world. The films will be screened at Pilot Theatre, the South Indian Film Chamber Theatre and Woodlands Theatre.
Khusbu expressed her happiness that experimental cinema has so much support. Sathyaraj said that film festivals were schools that help in learning every aspect of cinema.
Speaking on the occasion, director K. Balachander said he had a ‘love-hate’ relationship with film festivals. He said that whenever he sees good cinema, he feel jealous that he did not make theat film, and sad that he did not think of such an idea.
Others who spoke on the occasion were director Vasanth, Austrian film director Sabine Derflinger and Severyn Kharchuk, First Secretary (Consular), Embassy of Ukraine.
