Mira Nair, an Indian-born New York-based filmmaker, who has directed world famous films like Salaam Bombay! and Mississippi Masala, has instituted a special award at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) from 2008, in memory of her assistant director Hassan Kutty.
The award, consisting of a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 and a citation, will be given to the best debut director. In the category of Malayalam films, 7 films (Ranjth’s Thirakkatha, M. Mohanan’s Kadha Parayumbol, Madhupal’s Thalappavu, Rupesh Paul’s Laptop, T.V. Chandran’s Vilapangalkkappuram, Anjali Menon’s Manjadikkuru and Jayaraj’s Gulmohar) will be screened during the festival. 14 Malayalam films, including Akasagopuram and Adayalangal, have also been included in the competition category.
