Boycott of CIFF ends; critically acclaimed Tamil films included

CHENNAI: Organisers of the ongoing Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF) have decided to include the two critically acclaimed Tamil films mired in controversy, thus ending the boycott of the festival by the Tamil directors' body.

CIFF Director, E Thangaraj, said in a release that 'Sengadal - The Dead Sea' - dealing with the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka, and the award-winning ' Thenmerku Paruvakatru,' would be screened on December 21 at the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce Theatre here, following a demand by the Tamil Cinema Directors' Association.

Meanwhile, the Directors' Association, which had earlier announced boycotting of the event in the wake of the controversy, said it was ending it after the two movies found their place in this event, which also has the government's patronage.

Filmmaker C Ameer, general secretary of the Association, said in a statement that the directors had decided to call off their boycott after CIFF agreed to screen the films, directed by Leena Manimekalai and Seenu Ramasamy respectively.

The ninth edition of CIFF had a controversial beginning on December 14, with Manimekalai and her supporters shouting slogans against the 'boycott' of her film during the festival inauguration, attended by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, South Indian Artistes' Association Chief R Sarath Kumar and Information Minister KT Rajendira Balaji among others.

The Directors' Association had also announced its boycott.

'Sengadal - The Dead Sea' deals with the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka, an emotional issue in Tamil Nadu, while 'Thenmerku Paruvakatru' is an award-winning film, with actor Saranya Ponvannan sharing the Best Actress Award with Marathi actor Mithalee Jagdap Varadhkar in the National Film Awards this year.

'Sengadal' has already been screened at the Mumbai Film Festival and International Film Festival of India in Goa.