Indian cinema audiences will get a chance to watch Abu Shahed Emon's maiden directorial venture “Jalaler Golpo” when it is screened at two important film festivals in the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu later this month.

Emon himself will be travelling from Seoul to Kerala with his film for the 20th Kerala International Film Festival beginning tomorrow where it will compete with 13 other films for the 30,000-dollar top prize and a “golden chakram.” 

“Jalaler Golpo” will  be up against challenge from films from India, Iran, Brazil, Turkey, Israel, the Philippines and a few joint productions of Nepal, Argentina, France, Germany, Switzerland and Cuba. 

There are four Indian films in the competition section—Srijit Mukherjee's “Raj Kahini” featuring Bangladeshi actress among others, Budhayan Mukherjee's “The Violin Player” and Malayalam films “The Trap” and “The Painted House.” 

Besides, the top prize, Emon's work will also vie for other awards at the Kerala Festival including those of best director and best debutant director.

Another Bangladesh filmmaker Rubaiyat Hossain's “Under Construction” will be screened at  the  Kerala Festival, to be held in Thiruvananthapuram city,  in the World Cinema section.

Emon's movie will also be screened at the 13th Chennai International Film Festival in Kerala's neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu where 183 films from 50 countries are expected to feature from December 10 to 17. But given the fact that Chennai is battered by unprecedented rains and flood, it is not immediately clear if the Festival will go ahead.

“Jalaler Golpo” will also feature in the tenth Jogja-NETPA International Film Festival in Indonesia in December this year, Dhaka International Film Festival in January and Sydney Film School Festival. Emon has done his film studies from Sydney Film School in 2009 where he first conceived the idea of the film.