Noted film director Jayaraj has stressed the need for reviving the film society movement in Kerala which once spearheaded the cause of good cinema in Malayalam.
Speaking to media persons on the occasion of the reception accorded on him for winning the national award for short films, Mr. Jayaraj said that today even governments were not extending their machinery for the exhibition of experimental movies. The total lack of facilities to exhibit experimental films was one of the reasons that deterred new directors from making movies in Malayalam, he pointed out.
Mr. Jayaraj also pointed to the neglect of old movies and said soon it would be difficult to get even a print of these Malayalam classics as their negatives were not protected properly.
The short film ‘Vellappokkathil’ which got him the national award was very close to his heart, he said. Press Club president R. Rajiv presided over the reception.