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The Kerala government is finding it difficult to find an acceptable candidate for the post of chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy at the earliest, as the selection process for the International Film Festival of Kerala (IIFK) is already underway. Filmmaker Ranjith resigns after sexual harassment allegations Recently, actress Srilekha Mitra had levelled allegations against him. The post of the Academy’s president is a coveted one as he will be the director of IFFK by default and will be a key player in taking major decisions. The next edition of IFFK is set to begin on December 13, and entries have started pouring in, with several filmmakers already staking their claim for the coveted post.
Meanwhile, women’s organisations across the state have come forward demanding the appointment of a woman to the vacant post. Several activists have already sent a petition to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanding this and urged him to stop the Left Democratic Front’s slogan ‘Idtu Paksham Stree Paksham’ (Leftists support women rights)
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The idea germinated in several WhatsApp groups of feminist politics in the state after excerpts from the K. Hema committee report were published, leading to the mass petition. “Apart from groups like ‘Malayali Penkuttam’ and ‘Athijivitthaya Nadi’, ‘Thulyaa Prathinidhya Prasthanam’ was also discussed. Soon it culminated into the idea of sending a mass petition,” said Divya Divakaran, an activist from Malappuram district who signed the petition.
The petition states that no woman has ever held the post of chairperson of the academy. “There are many deserving women in Malayalam cinema who deserve the position. The government should take steps to appoint a gender-sensitive woman to the position as a first step to eradicate the misogyny and exploitation of women in Malayalam cinema,” the petition states.
Call for change
Several organisations that have represented the victim in the actor sexual assault case have come together with this demand. Feminist activist K. Ajitha said, “All governments hesitate to appoint women to positions of power. This needs to change.”
Women from various fields such as writer K.R. Meera, civil servant Rekha Raj, activists V.P. Suhara, A.K. Jayashree, M. Sulfath, Kanchanamala, Ammini K. Wayanad, Kusumam Joseph and transgender activist Sheetal Shyam are among those who have signed the petition and sent it to the chief minister.
However, the lack of women in decision-making positions in Malayalam cinema could be a hindrance even if the government decides to heed the demand to save its reputation.
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