30th IFFK from December 12 to 19; more than 200 films to be screened

The 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, will be held in Thiruvananthapuram from December 12 to 19, 2025. Over eight days, the festival will showcase more than 200 films from nearly seventy countries.

In commemoration of the 30th edition, about thirty more films have been included compared to previous years. Screenings will take place across 16 theatres, with one additional venue added this year.

Spirit of cinema award

The Spirit of Cinema Award at the 30th IFFK will be presented to Canadian filmmaker Kelly Fyffe-Marshall. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a statuette, and a citation. The Spirit of Cinema Award was instituted at the 26th IFFK to honour courageous women filmmakers who use cinema as a weapon of resistance against injustice in society. Kurdish filmmaker Lisa Kalän was the inaugural winner. Iranian filmmaker Mahnas Mohammadi, Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu, and Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia have been the previous recipients.

Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, whose films challenge racial prejudice against Black communities, won the first-ever Changemaker Award at the Toronto International Film Festival for her short film Black Bodies (2020). She made her debut with Haven (2018), which also focused on Black lived experiences. She is the co-founder of Make Ripples, a non-profit organisation dedicated to accessible activism, racial justice and empowering communities through storytelling. Active in television and advertising as well, her campaign film Black Elevation Map has earned several international recognitions. Her 2025 short film Demons was selected for the official programme at the Toronto International Film Festival. Kelly’s films challenge perceptions of Black communities while celebrating love, resilience and the Caribbean diaspora.

Festival Highlights   

The festival will feature 14 films in the International Competition section, 12 films in the Malayalam Cinema Today section and 7 films in the Indian Cinema Now category. More than 60 films will be presented in the World Cinema section, while 8 films will be screened under the Kaleidoscope category. In addition to these, films will also be showcased in the Female Focus, Midnight Cinema, and Restored Classics sections. A four-film tribute will mark the birth centenary of Bengali master Ritwik Ghatak. The Homage section will screen two films each by Shaji N Karun and MT Vasudevan Nair.

Country focus

The Country Focus on Vietnam will feature five films commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. A retrospective of three films by Hindi filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza is also planned. More than 13,000 delegates will attend the festival. Around 200 film professionals are expected as guests. Including filmmakers behind the selected films, officials, guests, sponsors and media representatives, the 30th IFFK will host a total of around 15,000 participants.

Exhibitions 

Adding to the festival’s attractions, three major exhibitions will be presented. IFFK Experiencia will trace three decades of the festival’s history. A special Ritwik Ghatak centenary exhibition will be organised in collaboration with the West Bengal Department of Information and Cultural Affairs.

In addition, a curated showcase of artist–art director Namboothiri’s location sketches will be presented in association with the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and the Artist Namboothiri Samman Trust.

Related programmes

The festival will also host a range of interactive sessions, including the Open Forum, In Conversation, Meet the Director and the Aravindan Memorial Lecture. In addition, cultural programmes will be organised at Manaveeyam Veedhi, the cultural corridor of the city.

Awards

Awards will be presented at the closing ceremony on December 19. The Suvarna Chakoram (Best Film) carries a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh. The Rajata Chakoram for Best Director includes a prize of Rs 4 lakh, while the Rajata Chakoram for Best Début Director carries Rs 3 lakh. The Audience Prize, awarded to the director of the most popular film, carries Rs 2 lakh. The FFSI KR Mohanan Endowment Award, given to the Best Indian Début Director, carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. Apart from this, awards instituted by FIPRESCI and NETPAC will also be presented.

A brief history of IFFK

The first International Film Festival of Kerala was held in Kozhikode from December 17 to 23, 1994, under the leadership of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation. The second IFFK took place in Thiruvananthapuram on November 1, 1995, coinciding with Kerala Piravi Day and was the first edition with international delegates.

The third IFFK, held from April 5 to 12, 1998, featured prominent guests including celebrated Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi. The fourth edition, held in Kochi from April 3 to 10, 1999, was the first after IFFK received accreditation from FIAPF, the international body of film producers. The competition section was introduced in this edition.

After the fifth festival, held in Kozhikode from March 31 to April 7, 2000, Thiruvananthapuram was declared the permanent venue of IFFK. The 25th IFFK, due to the COVID pandemic, was conducted across four cities — Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Thalassery, and Palakkad.