Face of IFFK, Premkumar credits ‘system in place’ for smooth conduct of film fest

Thiruvananthapuram: Premkumar does not remember whether any of his films were ever screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in its nearly three-decade history. However, the actor, known for his comic roles in Malayalam cinema, is one of the faces of the 29th edition of the film festival. As the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, which organises the event, Premkumar represents the machinery that runs the show. Premkumar, the academy’s vice chairman for the past two years, had a surprise elevation to the top post earlier this year after his predecessor, director Ranjith, was forced to step down following a misconduct allegation. 

Premkumar said his experience as the vice chairman has helped him understand how the film festival is organised. He, however, gives full credit to the ‘system in place’ for the smooth conduct of the eight-day event, which over 10,000 delegates attended. “There is a proper system functioning here. I am only a part of the system that runs the show with a collective responsibility, and I don’t find the responsibility to be any burden. I have been with the academy as its vice chairman during the two festivals. Hence, I am familiar with the way the event takes place,” Premkumar told Onmanorama during a brief chat amid his busy schedule. He said the IFFK has evolved to be a democratic space where conversations take place and criticism is accepted without intolerance. 

Asked about the specialities of this year’s event, he highlighted the focus given to women in the film industry. He also thanked Minister for Culture and Films Saji Cherian and his colleagues at the academy for coming up with ideas like Smriti Deepayathra – a tour remembering veterans of Malayalam cinema – and ‘Marakkillorikalum’, a first-of-its-kind event where female stalwarts of Malayalam cinema were honoured.

Premkumar sounded highly proud of the Cine Blood campaign, a blood donation campaign organised by the Kerala Chalachitra Academy in collaboration with the Kerala Police initiative Pol Blood, Kerala State Blood Transfusion Council, and the blood bank at the Government Women and Children Hospital in Thycaud, on the sidelines of the IFFK this year. He highlighted the initiative as a symbol of IFFK’s humane nature. Premkumar reiterated his ambition that IFFK should be made a film festival at par with the events in Cannes or Venice.