Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala International Film Festival concludes today with a lineup of 11 films set to captivate audiences across various categories. Film enthusiasts will have the chance to witness offerings from Palestinian, Mauritanian, Vietnamese, Peruvian, and Egyptian cinema, among others.

In the Palestinian cinema section, Shai Carmeli-Pollak’s 'The Sea' will be screened at 9:30 a.m. at Kairali Theatre. The film has been selected as Israel’s entry for the 98th Academy Awards.

The festival will also feature a notable film by Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako, who received this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, titled 'Waiting for Happiness'. In the World Cinema section, the main film screened on Friday will be 'Six Days in Spring'.

Other films on Friday’s schedule include 'Cairo Station' by renowned director Youssef Chahine, recipient of the 50th Lifetime Achievement Award at the Cannes Film Festival; 'Once Upon a Love Story', directed by Trinh Dinh Le Minh and included in the Country Focus section to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War; and 'Inside the Wolf' by Peruvian director Francisco J. Lombardi in the Latin American section.

Vote for your favourite film

Audiences can vote for the Best Film in the International Competition section until noon on Friday. Votes can be cast via https://registration.iffk.in/ or through the IFFK mobile app until 12 p.m. The producer and director of the film chosen for the Silver Crow Pheasant Audience Poll Award will share a prize of ₹2 lakh.

Protest at Kairali over reserved seats

Delegates protested in front of Kairali Sree Nila Theatres after alleging that those with pre-booked tickets were denied entry. The protest occurred during the screening of the Moroccan film 'Sirat', which had received strong audience appreciation.

Most people who booked seats online could not enter the theatre, with delegates claiming that their seats were occupied by 'guests' when they arrived. Protesters even confronted the police assigned for security. 'Sirat' was scheduled to be screened at 3 pm.