Witness Kafka's labyrinthine world at the Kerela Literature Festival 2024.

I JOSEF

An immersive multimedia experience based on Franz Kafka's Der Prozess / The Trial

Presented by Kaivalya Plays and Goethe-Institut New Delhi / Max Mueller Bhavan, in collaboration with DC Books at the Kerela Literature Festival.

📍 Venue: Theatre, Kozhikode Beach

🗓️ Dates: Thursday 23rd January to Sunday 26th January

 🕰️ Timeslots: Slots at 12pm, 3pm, 4:30pm and 6pm every day, each slot lasts 45 mins.

🗣️ Language: Available in English and German, audiences can switch simultaneously between the two languages.

🎟️ Registration: Limited seats available. Register online at bit.ly/ijosefklf. A few slots might be available in-person at the door.

About The Experience

I, JOSEF is an immersive ‘headphone theatre’ multimedia experience based on an original adaptation of Franz Kafka’s ‘The Trial’. It places the audience directly in the experience of Josef K, an ordinary bank clerk arrested and put on trial for a crime he doesn’t understand or know. Through vivid soundscapes—footsteps, whispers, eerie silences, city noises, and sudden shouts—the audience steps into K’s unsettling world. With 3D binaural sound and immersive projections, one experiences Kafka’s labyrinthine world from a first-person perspective, making them feel as if they are inside Josef K’s mind, grappling with the confusion and chaos of his unresolved fate.

About The Partners

Kaivalya Plays

Kaivalya Plays is a performing arts and production company led by Varoon P. Anand as its Artistic Director and Gaurav Singh Nijjer as its General Manager. Since 2012, they have built transcultural associations across India and the world. Their artistic work includes original, devised theatre performances that are multilingual, interactive, and hybrid, use technology and media on stage, and are built using techniques of improvisational, documentary, and physical theatre. Through a focus on education, training and community, their work spans diverse offerings of programs across artistic development, language learning, mental health, gender, accessibility, and transcultural collaboration. They have received multiple artistic commissions and grants through their collaborations with Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi, Goethe Institut Delhi, MediaFutures and other cultural partners. Their recent artistic work includes I, Josef (2024), The Pillowman (2024) ABSURDO (2023), Mining Hate (2023), Funes The Memorious (2021), Lifeline 99 99 (2021), Unravel (2019), amongst others. Most recently, they were awarded the Creativity Pioneers Fund 2023 by the Moleskine Foundation. 

Goethe-Institut New Delhi / Max Mueller Bhavan

The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. They promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. They convey a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany's cultural, social and political life. The Goethe-Institut in New Delhi like all the other institutes in India, is known as Max Mueller Bhavan – in honour of Max Müller (1823-1900), a scholar of comparative religion and co-founder of modern Indian studies. The institute offers language courses, organises cultural events and has a modern and well-equipped library. 

DC Books

DC Books started in 1974 by Dominic Chacko Kizhakemuri [popularly known as DC, doyen of publishing in India] is considered as one of the top five prestigious literary publishing houses in India. It is the first ISO certified book industry in India. DC Books is considered to have the highest pool of intellectual property /content suited for the Indian market. Strong editorial team ensures experiments with new formations, new areas, and encourages budding writers. Translation program of DC books is the largest in India. 90% of the authors of the region publish their works through DC Books. DC Books publishes about 1500 books a year, making it one of the largest literary publishers of India. DC Books corporate office is in Kottayam, Kerala, the publishing hub of South India. DC Books publishes books in all genres. English English Malayalam Dictionary published by DC Books is the largest selling bilingual dictionary in India and the second largest selling dictionary of India. DC Books has received the maximum number of awards among the Indian publishers for excellence from Federation of Indian Publishers, the apex body of publishers in India. DC Books started its Middle East operations in 2009 with outlets in Dubai, Muscat, Sharjah, and Ajman.

Kerela Literature Festival

Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), founded in 2016, is an annual literary festival held on the beaches of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. The Festival on the beach is a non-aligned platform, committed to providing an open and liberal forums for debates and discussion to foster progressive discourses. The seventh and the latest edition of KLF was held from January 11–15, 2024. Kerala Literature Festival is organized by the DC Kizhakemuri Foundation (DCKF), a philanthropic organization founded in 2001 as a tribute to late D.C. Kizhakemuri a freedom fighter, social activist, writer - publisher considered as the doyen of Indian publishing, and known as the father of paperback revolution in India, who took books to the masses. He was instrumental in the abolishment of sales tax on books. Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) is endorsed and supported by the Government of Kerala, Kerala Tourism and Culture Department.