International Film Festival of Kerala's future uncertain after state-funded events for a year get cancelled

The International Film Festival of Kerala may well skip a year, especially after the Kerala government announced on Tuesday that the it had to cancel every state-supported and funded cultural events, notes Scroll.in. The move on the government’s part was to enable a transfer of funds toward the cause of relief programs being conducted to aid victims of the Kerala floods. [caption id=“attachment_5119901” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] International Film Festival of Kerala’s poster in 2017. Image from Facebook[/caption] The principal secretary, Biswanath Saha, had in a statement said that the funds allocated to such events would fo to the chief minister’s disaster relief fund. This directly puts the fates of Kalolsavam, the school state youth festival, and IFFK, in complete ambiguity. The latter, which takes place between 14 and 21 December every year, is one of the most renowned programs attended by many artistes all over the country. However, no official cancellation has been made. A member of the Chalachitra Academy informed Scroll that the organisation had notified the ministry of the issues involving a last minute cancellation of the festival which apparently garnered a positive reaction from Minister AK Balan. The problem will be put before Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan post his return from the US. The academy has also come up with methods which would enable them to raise funds, thereby reducing the pressure on government aide. Academy president Kamal had told Asianet News that one of the primary ways this could be achieved was if the delegate fee were to be increased. The money which has already been allocated to them for the festival along with the extra that higher fess bring in, could afford a festival albeit at a smaller scale, added Kamal. A complete cancellation will also have an adverse impact on the Malayalam films made over the last year, explained Kamal. The selection process for the films have already begun and dissolving the festival will make it difficult to accommodate the films in 2019.