Don Palathara

Don Palathara is a film director, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker from Kerala, India.[1][2][3] Known for working on small budgets, his films are expositions of local Kerala culture and study on the human nature.[1][4] Palathara's films have gained accolades at several international film festivals, including Moscow International Film Festival,[5] International Film Festival Rotterdam[6] and International Film Festival of Kerala.[7]

Don Palathara
Born
Don Chacko Palathara

(1986-08-22) 22 August 1986
Idukki district,Kerala, India
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2015-present

Early life

Don Palathara was born in Idukki district, Kerala.[8][9] He subsequently migrated to Sydney, Australia, where he received a diploma from the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television in Sydney, which was formerly known as the International Film School Sydney, before its merger with Actors College of Theatre and Television.[10][11]

Career

Palathara had made several short films and documentaries, before venturing into feature films.[12] In 2015, his first movie, Shavam, was released. Made on a small budget, the film was noted for its atypical filmmaking choices, as it was made entirely in black and white, used location recording of sound (unusual for Indian movies), and a large number of inexperienced actors.[13] The film, which is a satire exploring aspects of human character and set at the scene of a funeral, was well received in international film festivals, and garnered positive responses locally as well.[14] When the film was released, it was distributed using Kazhcha Film Forum's Cinema Vandi, an alternative film distribution mechanism[15][16] Later, Shavam was presented on Netflix and MUBI.[17]

In 2017, Palathara wrote, directed, produced, and edited his second feature film, Vith. The movie was financed through crowdfunding platforms, including Kickstarter and from the proceeds of Shavam, a method of film finance rapidly gaining popularity amongst younger filmmakers.[18][19]

His next film, 1956, Central Travancore, wasr premiered at Moscow International Film Festival.[11][20][21][22] In 2022, '1956, Central Travancore' bagged FFSI's John Abraham Award for the best film of 2020.[23]

In 2020, Palathara made the film Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam featuring Rima Kallingal and Jitin Puthanchery, which is an 85-min single-take car ride taken by a young journalist and an aspiring actor.[24][25] This film was later nominated for Golden George for best film at the 43rd Moscow International Film Festival.[26]

His Everything Is Cinema, a relationship drama presented in first person narrative, featuring only Sherin Catherine had its premiere at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Cinema Regained section.[27][28]

In 2022, he made FAMILY, which stars Vinay Forrt, Divya Prabha, Nilja K Baby, Mathew Thomas, Sajitha Madathil etc. The film is an official selection at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. [29]

Filmography
Year(s) Title Director Producer Editor Writer Reference
2015 Shavam Yes No No Yes [1]
2017 Vith Yes Yes Yes Yes [1]
2019 1956, Central Travancore Yes No Yes Yes [1]
2021 Everything Is Cinema Yes Yes Yes Yes [30]
2021 Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam Yes No Yes Yes [31]
2022 Family Yes No Yes Yes [32]

References
  1. "Don Palathara's Shavam, Vith And 1956, Central Travancore Are Observational Tracts Filled With Gorgeous "Human Landscapes"". Film Companion. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. "Don Palathara". nettv4u. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  3. "Two movies by filmmaker Don Palathara to be screened at IFFK". The Week. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  4. "Wanted to focus on the little things, says 1956, Central Travancore director Don Palathara". Cinestaan. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. "Don Palathara's 1956, Central Travancore to premiere at MIFF". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  6. "Don Palathara's Everything is Cinema to premiere at Rotterdam festival". Times of India. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  7. "Don Palathara's two upcoming films selected for 25th IFFK". Cinema Express. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  8. "Don Palathara Interviewed by Arun A.K." bomb magazine.
  9. "Vith". tao films – The art of film. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  10. "The International Film School Sydney is now known as AFTT".
  11. Menon, Anasuya (2 August 2019). "The story of a people's psyche". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  12. "Preview of Shavam on Saturday". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  13. Gopalakrishnan, Aswathy (7 August 2017). "Spirit At A Funeral: Indie Filmmaker Don Palathara's 'Shavam' Peeks Into A Grief-Stricken Family". Silverscreen.in. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  14. "ശവം - മരണവീടിന്‍റെ മരണഡോക്യുമെന്‍റേഷൻ". Samayam Malayalam (in Malayalam). 29 November 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  15. "Shavam, far from a lifeless affair". The Hindu. 26 November 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  16. M.K, Nidheesh (19 March 2018). "'S Durga' makers to crowdsource screenings in Kerala". Livemint. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  17. "Award winning Malayalam film 'Shavam' by Don Palathara now streams in Netflix". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  18. "Don Palathara's Vith is built on the conflict". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  19. Shekar, Anjuna (28 May 2018). "Crowdfunding a dream". www.thenewsminute.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  20. Staff Reporter (5 November 2019). "Don Palathara's period movie selected for Film Bazaar". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  21. "Don Palathara's 1956, Central Travancore heads to Goa". Cinema Express. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  22. "'1956, Central Travancore', Malayalam film on early migrants to Idukki, heads to MIFF". The Week. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  23. Staff Reporter (4 July 2022). "FFSI's John Abraham awards announced". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  24. "Don Palathara's next is Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam". Cinema Express. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  25. "Rima Kallingal, Jitin Puthanchery star in Don Palathara's new film". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  26. "JOYFUL MYSTERY :: Film catalogue :: Moscow International Film Festival". www.moscowfilmfestival.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  27. "Don Palathara's Everything is Cinema to premiere at Rotterdam festival". Times of India. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  28. "Don Palathara's 'Everything is Cinema' to be screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam". The News Minute. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  29. "Don Palathara's 'Family' set for world premiere at Rotterdam Int'l Film Fest". The New Indian Express. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  30. "'Don Palathara's 'Everything Is Cinema' to premiere at International Film Festival of Rotterdam". The Week. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  31. "'Joyful Mystery'". IMDB. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  32. "Don Palathara's 'Family' set for world premiere at Rotterdam Int'l Film Fest". The New Indian Express. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
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