MUMBAI: Kerala Chief minister Oomen Chandy declared the 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) open at the Nishagandhi open air auditorium in Thiruvanthapuram today.

The inaugural function, that will have Jaya Bachchan as the chief guest, will also be attended by Om Puri.

The festival will feature 196 films from across 65 countries in 15 different sections. More than 100 delegates from abroad, including 50 eminent personalities, are expected to attend the festival. 

11 films from Asia, Africa and Latin American countries will figure in the competition section. In the retrospective section, films of Robert Bresson (France), Nagisa Oshima (Japan), Theo Angelopoulose (Greece), Adolfas Mekas (USA) and Djibril Diop Mambety (Senegal) will be screened.

In addition, seven films of Malayalam actor Madu will also be screened. In the homage section, films of Raul Ruiz, Mani Kaul, Tariq Masood and Elizabeth Taylor, artists who passed away in 2011, will be screened.

A special package on football will also be the attraction of the festival. In addition, open forums, discussions, and conversations with eminent personalities will add flavour to the festival.

The festival will conclude on 16 December.