The Tamil Film Active Producers Association, digital cinema service providers Qube Cinema and Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Multiplex Association have said in a joint statement that an agreement had been reached, resolving the stalemate over release of new films in theatres.
The statement said that the members of the TFAPA would be given significant discounts in ‘Virtual Print Fee’ for the time being and have agreed to resolve all outstanding issues related to VPF by the end of March next year.
“The decision was taken by all three stakeholders to ensure that the Tamil film industry recovers from the Covid-19 times and to enable the release of new movies without any obstacles,” the statement said.
The stakeholders will engage in tripartite talks to resolve issues before March 31 next year. The producers earlier protested against being made to pay VPF charges by the theatre owners while the digital service providers and the cinema owners refused saying that producers only pay a small amount for a 'technical' service. As a result, the producers refused to screen new movies despite the theatres being allowed to reopen after several months.
With this agreement, big, medium and small budget films will hit the screens and the audience will get to watch new movies in theatres.