A cultural body functioning under the aegis of Kerala’s State Department of Culture.
When the State Film Academy was set up in 1998, Kerala became the first State in the country to start a film academy. The academy was set up with the intention of serving as an intermediary between the government and the film industry as well as to ensure that the trajectory of films, a major influence in the socio-cultural milieu of the new generation, would be in guided in the right direction through timely interventions.
The Academy also takes the leadership role in organizing the national and international film festivals conducted by the State. The main film festivals include the Kerala International Film Festival, the National Film Festival and the International Documentary and Short Films Festival.
The State film awards, the State television awards, and the J. C. Daniel Prize are awarded by the Academy every year. T. E. Vasudevan was the first recipient of the J. C. Daniel Prize.
The Academy spearheads a number of activities to promote good cinema and to enhance its reach and appreciation by the public. These include the provision of a home theatre exclusively for classics and two vehicles equipped for digital screening of movies known as the ‘Touring Talkies’, as well as providing encouragement to the various film societies in the State. The Academy also runs a library and archives to further activities such as collecting classics from Indian and world cinema, arranging for the exhibition of prints, and encouraging research in audio-visual media.
The film museum functioning under the supervision of the Academy contains an archival system, showcases the milestones of Malayalam cinema and boasts of an extensive collection of movies from world cinema.
Academy also produces books, C D ROMs, and documentaries on film related topics. To know more about Chalachitra Academy, click here.
