Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Filmmakers team up to promote parallel cinema

Special Correspondent

Directors of new-age Malayalam films have decided to set up a cooperative society for the purpose.

Thiruvananthapuram: Sore at the neglect shown by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation, directors of new-age Malayalam films have decided to set up a cooperative society to promote parallel cinema.

Director of `Nottam,' Sashi Paravoor, director of `Saira,' Bijukumar and producer Radhakrishnan told presspersons here on Sunday that corruption and bureaucratic bungling in the KSFDC had forced them to seek new avenues for parallel cinema.

They said the proposed Filmmakers' Cooperative Society was working on a plan to convert private halls and auditoriums across the State into temporary cinema theatres. "We have initiated talks with the owners of these venues. The primary objective is to reach good cinema to the people," they said.

Mr. Paravoor urged the Government to institute a Vigilance inquiry into the functioning of the KSFDC. He alleged that the management was out to destroy the Malayalam film industry. "At a time when private cinema theatres are giving up the exhibition of soft-porn pictures, KSFDC is brazenly exhibiting such movies. The Corporation is saddled with a management that does not understand good cinema," he said.

Mr. Paravoor said films made at the Chitranjali studio complex under the KSFDC were accorded secondary status for screening at the Government- run Kairali-Sree theatres. He said moves were on to petition the Government against the KSFDC's policies.

Accusing the KSFDC of suppressing parallel cinema, Mr. Bijukumar said the management had turned down his plea to release his film `Saira' at their theatres, despite having been selected for the Moscow and Greek festivals.

He alleged that red tapism in the KSFDC office was forcing directors to run from pillar to post.

"The corporation has failed to fulfil its mandate to promote good cinema. Big- budget movies get preferential treatment at the expense of films made under the KSFDC's special package. Subsidy screenings are delayed by several months. The management has turned a deaf ear to our pleas to screen parallel cinema at least one month every year at Government-run theatres," Mr. Bijukumar said.

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