After repeated requests and popular demand, the Kerala government has decided to organise the International Film Festival of Kerala from February 10 onwards. A good number of modifications have been done to the festival protocols to prepare it for the Covid era, said Culture Minister AK Balan.
“It is not proper to completely avoid the film festival, a cultural programme that has garnered attention from around the world. Considering its importance, the government has decided to organise the event in February making sure to follow all Covid protocols,” the minister said.
The festival will take place in four zones — Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thalasseri, and Palakkad — on different dates. The festival will start from February 10 till 14 at Thiruvananthapuram, February 17 till 21 at Ernakulam, February 23 till 27 at Thalasseri, and March 1 till 5 at Palakkad. The festival would kick off from Thiruvananthapuram and conclude at Palakkad. Each zone is allowed to have only 1500 delegates, with 6,000 in total as compared to 14,000 delegates in previous years. Five theatres in each zone will host the festival for five days, and only 200 people will be allowed to each theatre for each show.
Keeping in mind the Covid protocols, the minister has clarified that only those with a Covid negative certificate will be allowed as delegates. The test has to be done 48 hours before the start of the festival in each zone. Moreover, the officials are planning to include international delegates to the event via online, and the delegate fee has been cut short to Rs 750. In the last two years, the fees were raised north of Rs 1,000 considering the flood damages throughout the state.
