The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will have a quiet start this year, with just the screening of the opening film 'Insult’’ at Nishagandhi on December 8, the inaugural day.
The State Chalachitra Academy has decided to cancel the gala inaugural event and all entertainment events that would have been part of the festival, as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives in the cyclonic storm Ockhi.
The cultural events scheduled daily for the evenings of the week-long festival at Tagore theatre, the main venue, have also been cancelled. Early on Monday, there was speculation that the festival itself was going to be postponed, as the Academy had postponed the inauguration of the delegate cell, as well as the opening of the delegate pass registration window for 1,000 more registrations, both scheduled for Monday. The Academy officials, including Chairman Kamal, had a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Culture Minister A.K. Balan. According to sources, the possibilities of postponing the festival were considered initially, considering the enormity of the tragedy that have hit the coastal areas.
However, logistical issues and financial losses that could be incurred by such an action made the officials consider the next best option. “It is almost impossible to postpone the festival at this stage. We have put in more than six months of work to reach this stage. The schedules all have been fixed, the flights have been booked, and postponing the festival could cause us losses of a few crores. Also, there are not many slots available for us to postpone, with the Christmas season just ahead and other film festivals lined up,” said an official.
