Kerala State Chalachitra Academy

Kerala State Chalachitra Academy

Type	Government aided academy
Founded	August 1998
Location	Thiruvananthapuram
Key people	Chairman: Priyadarshan Vice chairman: V.K. Joseph Secretary: K.S. Sreekumar -as of December 2007
Area served	The State of Kerala, India
Focus	Promotion of cinema
Motto	Cinema should contribute to the total development of man, both as an individual and as a social being.
Website	www.keralafilm.com

Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (Motion Picture Academy of the Kerala State) is an autonomous non-profit institution working under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. It was founded in August 1998 for the promotion of cinema in Kerala, considering the fact that cinema is the most popular art form in Kerala^[1]. The academy was first of its kind in India and was formed on the basis of the Karant committee report (1970) which proposed the formation of a national film academy.

Objectives

The objectives and functions of the Academy are:^[2]

1. To help Government in the formulation of policies connected with film and television related activities
2. To set up a film and video archive
3. To set up a Directorate of Film Festivals
4. To manage and distribute State Award for films and video programmes
5. To set up an Audio Visual Library for the public
6. To function as a link between the Government and film industry
7. To evolve a financial mechanism to support films having aesthetic and social importance
8. To extend promotional support to makers of good films and TV/Video programmes
9. To advice the Government to set up a Film and Television institute in the State and to start a State Television channel
10. To plan and execute specific films and television activities with the co-operation of KSFDC and C-DIT
11. To promote children’s films and to create sufficient arrangements to exhibit them in schools and other cultural centres
12. To set up a documentation cell to document the history of Malayalam Cinema and profile of film personalities
13. To organise film appreciation and study camps in different places
14. To set up an Academic Library and provide research facilities to public and students
15. To publish books, journals, etc. on cinema and television
16. To support film societies by providing grants and other facilities
17. To hold meetings, seminars conferences, lectures, symposia and discussion on cinema, television and other arts
18. To honour eminent personalities in cinema and television from the State and the country
19. 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^[3].

Kerala State Film Awards

Main article: 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.

IFFK

Main article: International Film Festival of Kerala

The IFFK (International Film Festival of Kerala) is one of the prominent film festivals hosted in India, 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^[4]. 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)^[5].

See also

• Kerala State Film Development Corporation
• IFFK
• Kerala State Film Awards
• Cinema of Kerala

References

1. ^ kerala.gov.in-Malayalam Cinema Introduction
2. ^ "OBJECTIVES". Chalachitra Academy. 
3. ^ Official Site-About Us
4. ^ indiaglitz.com-IFFK: Heavy inflow of delegates
5. ^ The Hindu-Film festival ends today