KOCHI: Kerala Film Chamber and the film bodies on Wednesday decided to hold a discussion with the state government and put on hold the strike planned from June 1.
The decision comes following the meeting between the Minister for Cultural Affairs, Saji Cherian, and the general secretary of the Kerala Film Chamber, Saji Nanthyatt.
“The cultural minister has invited representatives of the film bodies to discuss the issues in the industry. The interventions of multiple government-level departments, including the local self-government, finance, cultural affairs, and KSEB are required to solve the issue. So, the chamber has sent a letter to the CM and the minister for cultural affairs to hold a meeting before March 15,” he said.
The chamber has been demanding a relaxation in entertainment tax and other subsidies from the state government. “If the meeting is not held before March 15 or fails to find a solution for the current issues, the chamber will go ahead with the indefinite strike, shutting down the industry from June 1. We have also given notices to the theatres to take permission from the chamber to release films after June 1,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), earlier in an official statement, announced that the actor’s association will not support the cinema strike announced by the Kerala Film Producers Association.
The meeting held in Kochi was attended by the representatives of Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA), the Kerala Film Distributors Association, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), and the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEOUK).