The Kerala government appears to be planning to shift the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) to Kochi from the capital Thiruvananthapuram, which has hosted the previous 30 editions of the festival.

According to the Kerala Budget for 2026-27 presented by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Friday, the government will be setting up J.C. Daniel International Film City at Kochi, one of the intentions of which is to have a permanent venue for the International Film Festival of Kerala.

The plan to shift the permanent venue could face major technical problems. A festival like the IFFK, which is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), should have a permanent venue. The festival stands to lose its accreditation if this permanent venue is changed.

Back in 2021, at the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy’s decision to organise the 25th edition of the IFFK in four phases across four regions spread out across the State had kicked up a storm. Many, including Shashi Tharoor, MP, as well as some capital-based social media groups had then alleged that this was part of an attempt to eventually move the festival out of Thiruvananthapuram, even though the academy as well as the then Culture Minister categorically stated that the capital would continue to be the permanent venue of the festival. It was supposed to be a stop-gap arrangement considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

The Chalachitra Academy had to obtain special permission from the FIAPF to shift the venue considering the pandemic so that the festival would not lose its accreditation. In the permission, the FIAPF clearly mentioned that the arrangement would only be for that specific year.

Previous government had also promised permanent venues for the IFFK, but all of those proposals were for a venue in Thiruvananthapuram.