The dispute between the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) and the multiplex player PVR-INOX over virtual print fee (VPF) has been resolved.
The issue was settled following talks held between representatives of the KFPA and the company in Kochi on April 19 and 20. B. Rakesh, secretary of the association, said screening of Malayalam films would begin at screens in Forum Mall in Kochi and Miraj Cinemas in Kozhikode. “We have also decided not to pay VPF from January 2025 onwards in view of the high rates asked by the digital service providers,” he said. VPF is the payment made by the producer for theatres to acquire digital cinema equipment.
The multiplex chain decided to stop screening Malayalam films after the KFPA demanded that films must be released at screens in the malls at Kochi and Kozhikode at a low VPF using content mastered at the PDC (Producers’ Digital Cinema), a facility promoted by the producers. The PDC was launched after the producers and distributors found the VPF being charged by existing content providers to screen the movies in the theatres too high.
