The 25th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which is set to begin in February 2021, will be held in four districts of the state, following all COVID-19 protocols, announced Kerala’s Minister for Culture AK Balan. The film festival is usually hosted in Thiruvananthapuram. However, in view of the pandemic and to avoid crowding at one place, the IFFK will be held in four regions, including Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thalassery and Palakkad. The festival, usually held in December, had to be pushed on account of the pandemic.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the festival, conducted by the Chalachitra Academy, will happen from February 10 to 14, in Ernakulam from 17 to 21, in Thalassery from 23 to 27 and in Palakkad from March 1 to 5. In each place, the festival will be held in five theatres over five days. A maximum of 200 people will be allowed in one theatre.
The IFFK will be inaugurated in Thiruvananthapuram and concluded in Palakkad. There will be no public programmes or cultural events where people are likely to crowd. Several programmes, including 'Meet the director', press meets, master classes and other events will be conducted online. Foreign representatives and guests will not directly take part in the festival.
All the usual categories such as international competition, world cinema, Malayalam cinema today, Indian cinema now, kaleidoscope, retrospective, homage and others will be part of the festival. International competition and world cinema movies will have two screenings each while the rest of the films will have only one screening. One theatre will host four movies a day.
The delegate pass is charged at Rs 750. Students need to pay only Rs 400. Delegates need to register at the place under which their hometown falls.
The Minister also issued certain Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for the film festival.
> Arrangements will be made for antigen testing at the festival venues.
> Passes will be distributed to those carrying a certificate of testing negative for the coronavirus within the last 48 hours of the first day of the festival.
> All entry to the theatres will be on the basis of reservation.
> The delegates will go through thermal scanning before entering the movie halls.
> Physical distancing will be maintained at all times.
> Theatres will be sanitised after every screening.
The festival is being conducted in multiple districts due to the pandemic, and in the future, the main venue will continue to be Thiruvananthapuram, Minister Balan said.