# Kerala State Chalachitra Academy

Kerala State Motion Picture Academy is an autonomous non-profit institution based in Trivandrum, working under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala.

## History

It was founded in August 1998 for the promotion of cinema in Kerala, considering that cinema is the most popular art form in the state. The academy was first of its kind in India; it was formed on the basis of the Karant committee report (1980), which proposed the formation of a national film academy. Under the leadership of T. K. Ramakrishnan, The Minister for Cultural Affairs appointed Shaji N. Karun as its first chairman.
In August 2024, Ranjith, the then-chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, resigned following a sexual harassment allegation made by Bengali film actress Sreelekha Mitra. Despite the subsequent release of the Hema Committee report, Renjith has not publicly admitted to nor apologised for the allegations.

## Objectives

The objectives and functions of the academy are:
* To help Government in the formulation of policies connected with film and television related activities
* To set up a film and video archive
* To set up a Directorate of Film Festivals
* To manage and distribute State Award for films and video programmes
* To set up an Audio Visual Library for the public
* To function as a link between the Government and film industry
* To evolve a financial mechanism to support films having aesthetic and social importance
* To extend promotional support to makers of good films and TV/Video programmes
* To advise the Government to set up a Film and Television institute in the State and to start a State Television channel
* To plan and execute specific films and television activities with the co-operation of KSFDC and C-DIT
* To promote children's films and to create sufficient arrangements to exhibit them in schools and other cultural centres
* To set up a documentation cell to document the history of Malayalam Cinema and profile of film personalities
* To organise film appreciation and study camps in different places
* To set up an Academic Library and provide research facilities to public and students
* To publish books, journals, etc. on cinema and television
* To support film societies by providing grants and other facilities
* To hold meetings, seminars conferences, lectures, symposia and discussion on cinema, television and other arts
* To honour eminent personalities in cinema and television from the State and the country
* To distribute subsidy to Malayalam films and to carry out such directions as may be given by the Government from time to time

## Activities

* Honouring achievements in Malayalam films: Tha academy organises the Kerala State Film Awards from 1999. The award, which was started in 1963 was managed directly by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala.
* Film Festivals: The academy hosts the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), a prestigious film festival in India. The best films in the festival are honoured with the Crow Pheasant Awards.
* Bestowing fellowships on various personalities in the field of cinema.
* Promotion of film societies.
* Publication of books and periodicals on cinema.
* Conducting film appreciation courses.
* Organising seminars and workshops for students and professionals.

## Kerala State Film Awards

The academy organises the Kerala State Film Awards, which are given away yearly for the achievements in Malayalam films. The awardees are decided by an independent jury formed by the academy and the Department of Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Kerala. The jury usually consists of eminent personalities from the film field. For the awards for literature on cinema a separate jury is formed. The academy annually invites films for the award and the jury analyses the films that are submitted before deciding the winners. The awards intends to promote films with artistic values and encourage artistes and technicians. The awards are declared by the Minister for Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Kerala.

## Kerala State Television Awards

The emergence of Television as a popular medium found acceptance at the academy as separate awards were constituted for Television programmes also. The academy organises the Kerala State Television Awards since 1993, which are given away yearly for the achievements in Malayalam Television. The awards are declared by the Minister for Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Kerala.

## IFFK

The IFFK (International Film Festival of Kerala) is one of the prominent film festivals hosted in India, and it is managed by the academy. The festival gives weightage to films from the Third World. It only allows films from Asia, Africa and Latin America in its competition section. The festival is always noted for its public support. The festival is perhaps the only one to have screenings for residents of a jail, a juvenile home (Poojappura Central Jail, Thiruvananthapuram) and a poor home (Sri Chitra Poor Home).

## IDSFFK

The IDSFFK (International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala) is an annual documentary and short film festival conducted by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, at the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.