Malayalam Films Will Not Be Screened At PVR INOX

The dispute between the Pvr INOX multiplex chain and Kerala Film Producers' Association (KFPA) escalated with the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) announcing that Malayalam film won't be given to Pvr INOX screens without settling the compensation for the losses incurred by recent releases like Varshangalkku Shesham, Aavesham, Jai Ganesh, Aadujeevitham, and Manjummel Boys. 

On Saturday, a press meet was held in Kochi, which was attened by the representatives of FEFKA and the concerned films. Talking to the medias, B Unnikrishnan, FEFKA's general secretary announced their decision to not cooperate with the screening giant until they compensate producers for the losses incurred during the Eid-Vishu festival season.

The conflict was triggered after some new developments regarding the virtual print fee (VPF), which is charged by the existing content providers such as Qube and UFO to screen films in multiplexes. Kerala's film producers have been opposing the fees, arguing that it impacts the profits of both filmmakers and theatre owners. As a result, KFPA launched the Producers’ Digital Cinema (PDC), a content mastering unit, aimed at offering reasonable screening costs. 

When the Pvr group recently opened their nine new screens in Kochi's Forum Mall, they were directed by the KFPA to source Malayalam film content exclusively through PDC. This demand, however, did not go well with the Pvr group, which stalled the screening of Malayalam films. This has led to the tussle between Multiplex giant and Malayalam film industry.