Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 13 (Reporter) Celebrated actress Shabana Azmi, who completed 50 years of her acting career, will be the chief guest at the 29th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which will screen 177 films from 68 countries across 15 theatres in the capital city. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the week-long movie fest, which is all set for a colourful start today (Friday) at Nishagandhi auditorium at 6 pm. Famous Hong Kong director Ann Hui will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a citation, by the Chief Minister at the ceremony. The opening film ‘I Am Still Here’, directed by acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles will be screened at Nishagandhi following the inaugural ceremony. Minister for General Education and Labour V Sivankutty, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies G R Anil, Mayor Arya Rajendran, V K Prashanth MLA, district panchayat president Adv. D Suresh Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary of Cultural Affairs Dr Rajan N Khobragade, Cultural Affairs Director Dr Divya S Iyer, Chalachitra Academy Chairman Prem Kumar, festival curator Golda Sellam, international jury chairperson Agnes Godard, KSFDC chairman Shaji N Karun, Kerala Cultural Activists' Welfare Fund Board chairman Madhupal, Film Chamber president B R Jacob, and Academy secretary C Ajoy will attend the inaugural event which will be presided over by Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan. There will be a dance programme by Kerala Kalamandalam prior to the inaugural ceremony. The festival will screen 177 films from 68 countries across 15 theatres in the capital city. This includes 14 films in the International Competition. Other attractions are categories such as Malayalam Cinema Today, Indian Cinema Now, World Cinema, Festival Favourites, Country Focus, Retrospective, Female Gaze, Latin American Package, Kaleidoscope, Midnight Cinema, Animation Films, Restored Classics, and Homage. The other highlights of the festival are open forums, panel discussions, meet-the-director sessions, the Aravindan Memorial lecture, and cultural programmes. Over 13,000 delegates and over 100 film professionals are expected to attend the gala. Seventy percent of the seats in all theatres will be reserved for delegates, while 30 percent will be allotted to those without reservations. Senior citizens will be allowed to enter the theatres without having to stand in long queues. Two free e-buses provided by KSRTC will connect the screening venues for delegates. On the second day of the fest, an event to commemorate late film personalities will be held at Nila Theatre at 6 pm. Six books from the Kerala State Film Academy’s ‘Shrandanjali’ series will be released at the festival. A digital art exhibition titled 'Cinema Alchemy: A Digital Art Tribute' curated by filmmaker T K Rajeev Kumar will take place at Tagore Theatre from December 14. The cultural department will honour senior actresses in a program titled ‘Marakkillorikkalum’ on December 15 at 6:30 pm at Manaveeyam Veedhi, followed by a musical programme featuring songs from their films. Cultural programmes will be organised at Manaveeyam Veedhi from December 14 to 19 every day at 6.30 pm. At the closing ceremony on December 20, the Chief Minister will present the Spirit of Cinema Award to filmmaker Payal Kapadia. The winner of the Suvarna Chakoram Award for the best film will receive Rs 20 lakh. The director of the film winning the Rajatha Chakoram will receive Rs 4 lakh, and the award for Rajatha Chakoram (best debut filmmaker) will carry a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh. Rajatha Chakoram (audience prize) winning filmmaker will be awarded Rs 2 lakh, while the K.R. Mohanan Endowment Award for the best Indian debut filmmaker will carry Rs 1 lakh. The closing ceremony will also feature a flute recital by Rajesh Cherthala. French cinematographer Agnès Godard will chair the International Competition jury, alongside Georgian director Nana Djordjadze, Bolivian filmmaker Marcos Loayza, Armenian director and actor Mikael Dovlatyan, and Assamese director Monjul Baruah...////...