26th International Film Festival of Kerala postponed due to spike in Covid cases

The 26th edition of International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) has been postponed due to the spread of COVID-19. The festival was originally scheduled to be held from February 4 to 11 this year. The eight-day movie gala was set to be organised across 10 to 12 theatres in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

The festival was supposed to be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Nishagandhi auditorium on February 4. Now that the Covid cases in Kerala have seen a sudden spike after Christmas and New Year, the festival committee has announced the postponement. 

The revised dates are yet to be announced. The festival is conducted by Kerala State Chalachithra Academy on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs of Government of Kerala. IFFK is usually held in the month of December every year. It was postponed to February this year on the background of the pandemic situation. 

The festival will witness a wide range of screenings of films across the globe. The best feature film would be honoured with the Golden Crow Pheasant Award including a cash prize of 20,00,000. This could be shared equally between the director and the producer.

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Meanwhile, the 25th edition of IFFK was conducted in four phases, spread across the State last year. With a view of reducing the crowding in the Capital, the festival was organised in different phases in districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, Malappuram and Ernakulam. The festival was received warmly and it was opened up for a new section of viewers in 2021.