Kerala Film Employees Federation Condemns Malayalam Movies Not Getting Screened In State

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posted on 9 months ago — updated on 1 second ago

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The decision by the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) stems from producers’ regular violation of the 42-day window period between theatrical and OTT releases.

The Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) has declared the non-screening of Malayalam films in Kerala starting from February 22. This decision has been announced as a protest against the Film Producers Association and their recent initiatives regarding film releases.

Now, as per reports, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) has spoken against the FEUOK strike. According to FEFKA general secretary B Unnikrishnan, the decision not to release Malayalam films in theatres is condemnable. “FEUOK, through its decision, is showing its contempt to Malayalam cinema, workers, history, audience, Malayalam lovers and the society. This is highly condemnable. We expect FEUOK will reexamine its decision to go ahead with the strike.”

The dispute between FEUOK and the Film Producers Association has started due to two reasons. K Vijayakumar, president of FEUOK highlighted the issue of rising prices of projectors. The rise in costs has made it difficult for theatre owners to comply with the demands of the Film Producers Association. FEUOK argued that theatre owners should have the freedom to choose which projectors to install in their theatres. Meanwhile, the producers’ association has insisted on using their content mastering unit for screenings, which would impose a financial burden on theatre owners.

The decision by FEUOK stems from producers’ regular violation of the 42-day window period between theatrical and OTT releases. The producers have constantly released films earlier despite protests and advocacy for maintaining this minimum screening period. This has prompted FEUOK to take action. This move is expected to impact upcoming films like Manjummel Boys and big-budget movies as well such as the Dileep and Shine Tom Chacko-starrer Thankamani. Films already released at theatres like Bramayugam starring Mammootty will remain unaffected by FEUOK’s decision. The film Premalu starring Naslen and Mamitha Baiju will also remain unaffected.

FEUOK has earlier resorted to similar measures as well to protest against the violations of the OTT-window period norms. In 2023, the organisation shut down the theatres across Kerala for two days. It demanded an increase in the gap between the theatrical and the OTT releases. The decision by FEUOK underscores the ongoing conflict between the theatre owners and the producers regarding the release strategies.