This is due to the work of distinguished Malayalam film directors such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G. Aravindan and Shaji Karun, that the Malayalam films have achieved international recognition. The late G. Aravindan films like Chidambaram (1985) and his last film Vasthuhara (Dispossessed, 1990) confirm his sensitivity as a filmmaker. While popular films that bear the imprint of melodramatic musicals are produced in large numbers, the artistic cinema continues to grow.

Even Adoor Gopalakrishnan`s Elippathayam, brought him international recognition and the British Film Institute Award as the `maker of the most original and imaginative film`. His films such as Chemmeen (The Shrimp, 1968), Mukhamukham (Face to Face, 1984), Ananthram (Monologue, 1987) explore the concept of the self and the struggle to adapt to changing social circumstances.

1950 - Nallathanka: Directed by P.V. Krishna Iyer, the film starred Augustine Joseph, Vaikkom Moni, Miss Kumari, Omana, S.P. Pillai, and Matheppan. A princess marries a king, but when drought occurs in their kingdom, she turns to her brother for assistance. A jealous sister-in-law aggravates the situation to the point that the sister comes close to killing herself and her seven children. The film, based on a legend, was a major success.

1951 - Navalokam: Directed by V. Krishnan, the film starred Kumari, Sethulakshmi, Lalitha, Thikkurissi Sekumaran Nair, and Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai. The differences between the estate owner and workers come to a head over his cruelty towards a woman he had seduced. Eventually, however, she is able to reconcile the two parties. This film marked a deviation from the mythologicals that had dominated Malayalam films.

1953 - Thiramala: Directed by P.R.S. Pillai, the film starred Kumari Thangam, Miss Chandni, Kumari Kalyani, M.L. Rajam, and Sathyan. Lovers are separated, but meet up again in the city - the hero is witness to the heroine`s disintegrating marriage. They return to their homes in the village, and he dies while attempting to rescue her from a stormy river.

1954 - Neelakuyil: Directed by P. Bhaskaran, the film starred Kumari, Prema, Kodangallur Ammini Amma, P. Bhaskaran, and Sathyan. The illegitimate child of a dead Harijan woman is brought up by the high caste postman. This causes ripples in the caste-conscious village, and finally, the child`s father, another high-caste villager, acknowledges the child. This film is regarded as a breakthrough film - the realism hitherto unseen on the Malayalam screen.

1965 - Chemmeen: Directed by Ramu Kariat, the film starred Sathyan, Sheela, Madhu, Kottarakkara Sridharan Nair, S.P. Pillai, and Adoor Bhawani. Based on a work by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, the film is about the fisherfolk and their belief - the safety of the fishermen depends upon the virtue of their wives. An important film, it brought meaningful cinema to the fore. It was awarded the Certificate of Merit at the Chicago film festival and the most prestigious national award, Golden Lotus.

1972 - Swayamvaram: Directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the film starred Sharada, Madhu, Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair, and Gopi. Two lovers elope to the city but life is difficult - they eventually move into a slum. Their love endures as they battle through life. The husband dies, leaving her a destitute widow with a small child. The movie closes with a knock on her door - she looks up. Moving away from the usual perceptions of melodramas, the film states a clear message of collective social responsibility - the couple`s plight is not a punishment for their `misdeeds` and their child deserves better than what the parents underwent. This was Gopalakrishnan`s debut as director.

1973 - Nirmalayam: Directed by M.T. Vasudevan Nair, the film starred P.J. Anthony, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Ravi Menon, Sukumaran, and Sumitra. The story of a village oracle, long redundant, who is once again the focus of the village because of an outbreak of small pox. The day of the ceremony is the very day he discovers, among other things, that his family has been financially dependent upon his wife`s lover. At the end, he dies by the ceremonial sword before his deity. P.J. Anthony`s performance as the oracle was described as `electrifying`.

1975 - Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol: Directed by P.A. Backer, the film starred T.V. Chandran, Raveendran, J. Siddiqui, Salam, Pailunni, Shalini, and Dawn. An idealistic revolutionary discovers love, but since the police have branded him a criminal, he is killed. His lady love finds out about his death through the newspaper. The film was censored, and barred from exhibition during the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi. It remained an important film in the industry, influencing many.

1977 - Kodiyettam: Directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the film starred Gopi, Lalitha, Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair, and Adoor Bhawani. A wandering fool whose obvious stupidity seems to overshadow the dismal lives of the villagers. As an assistant to a truck driver, he experiences the world and undergoes many changes. Gopalakrishnan did not idealize poverty - he observed it all with warmth and humour. The film`s soundtrack was unforgettable - the Kathakali drums in particular.

Thampu (The Circus Tent, 1978):Directed by G. Aravindan, this film explores the complex and lonely lives of circus-players `with an almost documentary fidelity.

Kummaty (The Bogeyman, 1979):Directed by G. Aravindan, it deals with the legendary figure of a mysterious wizard who figures in children`s lore in Kerala. Aravindan presents this character and children`s reaction to him with poetic charm.

Esthappan (Stephen, 1980):Directed by G. Aravindan, Esthappan is set among Christian fishermen in Kerala and narrates the life of a wandering and mysterious spiritualist.

Directed by G. Aravindan, Pokkuveyil (Twilight, 1981): Pokkuveyil is about a young poet who, unable to withstand the hard realities of life, slips into a world of fantasy and hallucination. The film has very little dialogue and relies on a rich use of colour.

1981 - Aparna: Directed by Padmakumar, the film starred Prathap Pothan, Sudeshna, and Master Tony. A young woman prefers to live her life in her hopes - real life is harsh and she clings to her love for a man who is no longer around. Her illusions are finally shattered when she visits the banyan tree where he was seen last - realizing that reality too is an illusion. - An unusual film.

Ilakkangal: Directed by Mohan, the film starred Nedumudi Venu, Shankaradi, Innocent, Adoor Bhasi, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, and Sudha. The return home from the city - a young man is blissfully unaware of a 15-year old`s feelings for him. Before leaving for the city, he pays her for washing his clothes. Human emotions and human ignorance form the theme here.

1984 - April 18: Directed by Balachandra Menon, the film starred Balachandra Menon, Venu Nagavalli, Adoor Bhasi, Gopi, Shobhana, and Unnimary. A wife misunderstands her policeman husband`s interest in a convict`s wife. She leaves home but eventually they are reconciled - divorce proceedings are distasteful and past memories revive their love. - A melodrama that sought to depict the marital bond.

Kaanamarayathu: Directed by I.V. Sasi, the film starred Mammooty, Lalu Alex, Rehman, Bahadur, Shobhana, Sabitha, Seema, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Sukumari, Unnimary, and Noorjehan. An orphaned young girl finds herself in love with the hard-headed businessman who is paying, reluctantly, for her education. It is only when the girl is about to be sent to a nunnery that he accepts her and her feelings. The film was based on a script by P. Padmarajan.

1984 - Elippathayam: Directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the film starred Karamana Janardanan Nair, Sharda, Jalaja, Rajam K. Nair, and Prakash. The rat trap recurs throughout the film - as the film`s title, a motif, and as the life of the protagonist. - A man lazy and selfish to the extreme, scurrying away like a rat from life and its flow. If it chronicles human decay, the film also presents human fortitude. Gopalakrishnan himself pointed out the autobiographical element in the film - `Elippathayam is probably the closest to me. I have almost reproduced my own family in it.` The film won the British Film Institute Award for its director as the `maker of the most original and imaginative film`.

1985 - Kilipattu: Directed by Raghavan, the film starred Nedumudi Venu, Sukumaran, K.P. Ummar, Sabitha Anand, and Adoor Bhasi. A corpse is discovered in a well during a festival, and an activist is arrested for the murder of the temple keeper`s daughter. He dies while in police custody. The daughter appears sometime later, but is killed during the next festival and her corpse recovered from a well. The film was the director`s first.

1991 - Amaram: Directed by Bharathan, the film starred Mammooty, Madhu, Ashokan, and Murali. The film relates the predicament of a family - the father witnessed his wife die due to lack of medical aid and decides to enter his daughter into the medical profession. The daughter however loves a man who objects to her education. The camerawork of the film was much-admired.

In recent years, Shaji Karun, already distinguished as a cameraman, has emerged as a talented film director. His first feature film, Piravi (The Birth, 1988), was based on the Rajan murder case that occurred during the Emergency in the mid-1970s. It explores with great poetic sensitivity and cinematic understanding the anguished search of an old man for his lost son, who is taken into police custody. Piravi won several prestigious awards at international film festivals and was shown in England on Channel 4. In Kerala, film producers eagerly seek actors such as Mammooty and Mohanlall, who have acted in hundreds of films. But Malayalam cinema deserves attention for its enriching of the artistic tradition of film.