A decisive step towards addressing long-pending issues in the Malayalam film industry will begin on Saturday (August 2, 2025) with the opening of the two-day Kerala Film Policy Conclave organised by the Kerala government to frame a comprehensive policy touching upon all aspects of the industry.

It is in a way a result of the churn witnessed in the industry after the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a popular woman actor in 2017, which led to the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) and the constitution of the Justice K. Hema Committee to study issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam film industry as per the WCC’s demand.

The Hema Committee report, which was published in 2024, revealed not just cases of sexual exploitation, but illegal bans, discrimination, wage disparity and in some cases, inhuman working conditions. In the aftermath of the Hema Committee report, the lack of a proper policy to address many of these issues was highlighted.

The draft of the film policy, which was prepared after several rounds of meetings with the various stakeholders in the industry, will be presented at the conclave over the two days. The Department of Culture has lined up several panel discussions on various aspects of the policy, with experts from the field taking part.

Although 17 other States have film policies, a good number of these do not go beyond incentives for film production. According to officials of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation, the proposed policy for the Malayalam industry will go beyond this to consider all aspects related to film production. The conclave will also address the lack of formal recognition as an industry, due to which regulations are not in place to govern most of the activities in the Malayalam film industry.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the conclave at a function to be held at Sankaranarayanan Thampi Hall inside the Legislative Assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday at 10 a.m. Actors Mohanlal and Suhasini Mani Ratnam will be the chief guests at the function to be presided over by Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian.

The opening session will be on gender and inclusivity in the industry, with a focus on building equitable workplaces in the film industry and implementation of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) in sets and studios.

The discussions related to other aspects will address several issues, including the lack of contractual agreements, lack of a centralised body for regulatory oversight in the industry and barriers to entering film associations and unions due to high membership fees and favouritism.

Single-window system for permits

Panel discussions will also focus on creation of a single-window online system for filming permits to streamline bureaucratic processes, ethical marketing practices, measures to protect against cyber threats and formulating ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in filmmaking for the future.

Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan will be the chief guest at the closing ceremony on Sunday (August 3), while Mr. Cherian will present a detailed report on the sessions on both days.