Film Exhibitors’ United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) has stated that cinemas affiliated to it will not screen new Malayalam releases from February 23, unless the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) agreed not to press for installing new projection systems in tune with the film content mastered at its facility here.
The differences emerged after the KFPA leadership insisted that new releases will be given only in theatres having projection systems capable of screening the content mastered at its unit. It will be an additional burden on the exhibitors, who are already reeling under severe financial crisis, said K. Vijayakumar, president of FEUOK.
He said that a new projection system for screening the content mastered at the KFPA’s facility will cost around ₹50 lakh. Majority of the exhibitors have been using projection systems taken on rent from companies involved in the duplication and distribution of content. The decision by the KFPA that new releases will be given only to those theatres having the facilities as per their conditions is unacceptable, he said.
B. Rakesh, secretary of KFPA, denied the allegations while pointing out that they have not made it mandatory for all the theatres to have the projection systems capable of screening the content mastered at its facility.
“But we are insisting that all new theatres should have this facility as it offered quality content mastering services at affordable rates to the stakeholders. The decision to have our own content mastering unit was taken to overcome the monopoly of certain private players, which had offered it at higher rates,” he said.
He pointed out that around 70 theatres affiliated to FEUOK had already set up the projection systems as per the features required.
