Kerala Budget: UDF government’s plan to shift IFFK to Kochi may face technical hurdles, including loss of accreditation

The Kerala government seems to be planning to shift the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) to Kochi from the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, which has hosted the previous 30 editions of the festival.

According to the Kerala Budget 2026-27 presented by Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Friday, the government will set up the JC Daniel International Film City in Kochi, one of the plans of which is to have a permanent venue for the International Film Festival of Kerala.

The plan to move the permanent venue could run into major technical problems. A festival like IFFK, which is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), should have a permanent venue. If this permanent venue changes, the festival loses its accreditation.

In 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy’s decision to host the 25th IFFK in four phases in four regions spread across the state created a storm. Many, including MP Shashi Tharoor, as well as some capital-based social media groups, claimed at the time that this was part of an attempt to eventually shift the festival from Thiruvananthapuram, even though both the academy and the then culture minister categorically stated that the capital would continue to be the permanent venue for the festival. It was meant to be a temporary measure in view of the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Chalachitra Academy had to get special permission from FIAPF to move the venue in view of the pandemic so that the festival does not lose its accreditation. In the FIAPF permit, it made it clear that the arrangement would be for that particular year only.

The previous government had also promised permanent venues for the IFFK, but all these proposals were for a venue in Thiruvananthapuram.

After the announcement in the budget led to intense criticism on social media platforms, Cultural Affairs Minister PCVishnunadh later in the evening clarified that Thiruvananthapuram would remain the permanent venue of the festival and that claims to the contrary were baseless.

Published – 19 June 2026 15:30 IST