It was a proud moment for Malayalam cinema as Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's new film Chola was screened at the Venice film festival. After the screening, the film earned raves from some of the world's leading critics.

The film's actors —Joju George, Nimisha Sajayan, and newcomer Akhil— attended the event along with Sanal and co-producer Sijo Vadakkan. The Venice film festival is regarded as not only one of the three biggest festivals in the world but also the oldest.

Chola was screened at the Orizzonti (Horizons) section of the prestigious festival under its English title, Shadow of Water. The only Malayalam films which previously had the honour to be screened here were Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Mathilukal and Nizhalkuthu. Chola is expected to be released theatrically soon.

The Orizzonti section, which runs concurrently with the main competition category, was set up with the aim of introducing and encouraging new trends in filmmaking. This year's edition of the festival will conclude on September 9.