The sixteenth edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala could very well go down into the annals of history as the worst conducted film festival ever in the over a decade and a half years of  illustrious existence of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy. Right from the beginning, the festival showed signs of mismanagement and bungling that gave ample hints at what was to follow.

The film 'Aadimadhyantham' was not allowed to be screened at the 16th IFFK, until the threat of violence, because the 'written' laws on how the film festival is supposed to be conducted wouldn't allow it. Laws are meant to be followed, and to be rightfully questioned when they fail to serve their purpose. To bar a good film from being screened to make space for bad ones is quite demeaning to the standards that the IFFK had set over the years. Yes, the films that were shortlisted to be screened were indeed bad this year; it is not a personal opinion, but a general one. To have a had-been actress as the chief guest whose only reason for fame is her surname never did any wonders for it either. To have a bunch of films whose makers couldn't make an answer to the simplest and most basic questions posed by the delegates and the press members, screened under the competition category was another blow to the credibility of IFFK.

No offence to those who organised the film festival this year, but the films selected to educate the young minds about the value and virtue of cinema were deplorable. There were those odd ones here and there which could be marked off as good enough, but to have someone as the chairperson whose current fancy seems remaking lackluster versions of excellent films including his own, somehow does not seem to do justice to an international film festival held in a state which has given world cinema some of its greatest directors, writers, actors, as well as films.

The growth of IFFK as the premier film festival of the entire nation and also as one among the acclaimed ones in the world wasn't without its adverse effects. With growth comes a brand name and with brand name comes the wave of blind followers. Gaining a delegate card for IFFK has now become more of a symbol of prestige rather than as an opportunity to watch some of the best movies carved out from the best minds from the world over. The commercialisation of IFFK was the single valid reason that gave the organisers the courage to demand fees for delegate passes and then to have it increased fromRs. 300 to Rs. 400. Despite escalating fees, the number of delegates who registered shattered all previous records. The sincerity of the huge numbers who got their names on the delegate list to watch and appreciate atleast a handful of the almost 200 movies that were screened, is something that needs to be questioned. Not being able to discern between a good film and a bad film is sad in itself, but not being bold enough to speak out the plain truth is worse. Individuals who are aware of their limitations and are confident to speak out their opinions do not require the tag of a branded item as a means to personify themselves. But unfortunately, the vast proportion of the ten thousand delegates who shuttled between the ten theaters rented out for the festival, belonged to the other category whose only interest in IFFK lay with the opportunity they saw to be termed as 'elite'.

The emergence of such a crowd for the annual IFFK is the ultimate defect that's going to cause huge and irreparable decay to the standards that have made IFFK a globally acclaimed film festival. If the current trend continues, the fees could be increased to Rs.1000 for what anyone cares and the number of delegates would still keep climbing.