MUMBAI: The 6th edition of the Vibgyor International Film Festival, now on in Thrissur in Kerala, is this year focusing on political filmmaking and media activism in South Asia.

The five-day festival has been dedicated to the memory of filmmaker, media activist and co-founder of the festival, the late C. Saratchandran.

"The Festival will attempt to bring into light Academic and non-Academic documentations or studies in the area of political film-making and also provide space for filmmaker’s first- person accounts of political filmmaking practices,”an official statement said. 

The Festival believes in representing basic social issues and celebrating human spirit through cinema.

`South Asia’ has been in focus since the 2010 edition of the festival while the theme last year was `South Asia: Democracy-Justice-Peace’. The special focus this year has been chosen in keeping with Saratchandran’s vision.

Besides film screenings from across the globe, there will be activities like the South Asian Conference/Memorial Lecture, Meet the Directors, Mini Conferences and Campaigns that will explore contemporary independent filmmaking practices in South Asia in relation to their history and politics, ownership, technology and agency.

There will also be mini conferences that will highlight issues like `Rethinking ownership, authorship and viewership’ ` Persistence and Resistance’, ‘Media activisms and contemporary practices of digital documentary filmmaking’, among others.

The festival that got off to a sedate start on 12 January will go on till the 16th of this month.