Producer Siyed Koker refused to hold further talks with FEUOK till there was a change in the existing leadership led by K Vijayakumar.
Listin Stephen addressing the media in Kochi. (Supplied)
The tussle between the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) and the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) has worsened with producers and distributors taking stern decisions against the exhibitors.
During a joint meeting of KFPA and Kerala Film Distributors’ Association in Kochi on Tuesday, 27 February, it was decided not to cooperate with theatre owners who refuse to screen movies via 4K resolution projectors from 1 April.
This will affect the theatres in Kerala, which mostly have 1k and 2k projectors. Barco, Christie, and Sony are some companies that supply projectors to theatres across India.
KFPA President Siyad Koker told the media that the FEUOK was making unreasonable suggestions that can’t be taken into consideration by producers or distributors.
The veteran producer also refused to hold further talks with the FEUOK until there was a change in the existing leadership led by President K Vijayakumar.
Siyad Koker asserted that the protest by FEUOK did not go in the right direction. “We have been shooting movies in 4 K resolution. We will not cooperate with theatres that won’t screen our films via 4 K resolution from 1 April.”
During the joint meeting, it was also decided not to award VPF fees to exhibitors using systems other than those approved by KFPA.
Giving an example of VPF, Siyad Koker said the VPF charge for Malaikottai Vaaliban (2024) was ₹84 lakh. But in our system (content mastering), it would only be ₹17 lakh.
In the joint meeting, it was also decided not to hold discussions with theatre owners over the VPF and projector issue that was highlighted mainly by FEUOK.
Addressing the media, KFPA secretary B Rakesh found fault with the FEUOK’s recent move to not screen new Malayalam films in theatres since the industry had been registering good business at the box office for some time.
Kerala Film Distributors Association secretary SST Subrahmayam also echoed the same opinion.
They said the theatre owners’ protest was an attempt to sabotage the Producers’ Digital Cinema.
An exhibitor, on condition of anonymity, told South First that producers have threatened not to give 1K content to theatres from 1 April.
“This decision will cause inconvenience to audiences who wish to watch films in single-screen theatres. How can a theatre that charges ₹100-120 per head for a show screen films using a high-end projector and not charge accordingly? They will definitely discourage moviegoers from visiting cinema halls. Moreover, most of the theatres in Kerala with multiple screens have a mix of 1K and 2K projectors,” he pointed out.
According to him, several small producers are not making 4K prints because of the high budget. Even small/medium-budget non-Malayalam films exhibited in theatres in Kerala too have 1k quality.
Meanwhile, the FEUOK on 27 February revoked their decision to stop screening new Malayalam films in theatres.
During a discussion, the senior members of FEUOK, including actor Dileep, addressed the concerns raised by the association.
“The issue started in one theatre and we were not shutting all the theatres. We have issues with other associations but that will be sorted out very soon,” Dileep told the media.
A consensus was reached that starting from 1 March, all Malayalam films would be released in cinema halls.
However, the KFPA and the distributors association’s stand proved to be an obstacle for FEUOK, which was hoping for a solution.
On 20 February, the FEUOK said it stands firm against releasing new Malayalam films in theatres from 23 February.
Producer-distributor-exhibitor Listin Stephen pointed out that the exhibitors insist on streaming new movies on the OTT platforms only after 42 days of their theatrical release.
However, the OTT platforms insist on screening the film 25 days after theatrical release.
“If we give the films to OTT, as suggested by the exhibitors, it won’t be feasible for us. Moreover, the OTT platforms don’t need most Malayalam films,” Listin Stephen added.
He wanted the Film Chamber to decide on this matter. “We will give the films to the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce after 42 days and let them make a deal with OTT platforms,” he added.
According to FEUOK president Vijayakumar, producers initially used to pay the Virtual Print Fee (VPF), an amount given to content providers such as Qube, UFO and TSR by producers.
This amount is given for facilitating the process, including uploading the content to servers and screening the films in theatres. But now, they asked the theatre owners to bear the amount, which will only burden the latter.
The FEUOK President averred that exhibitors were not allowed to have projectors of their choice.
“Six members of the producer association have formed a new content mastering unit, where they are also making digital prints of new films. When the unit was launched, it was said only newly-built theatres would have to take content (films) from the company. But now, they insist that renovated theatres must buy content from them,” Vijaykumar said.
He elucidated that the content provided by the new content mastering unit is not compatible with all projectors. As a result, the theatres will be forced to buy expensive digital projectors.
The FEUOK had revealed that 65 theatres in Kerala, which were screening films via producers’ content, were blackmailed by the new company
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