IFFK 2026 Guide: Dates, Venues, Delegate Pass and How It Works

The 31st International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is scheduled for 11 to 18 December 2026 in Thiruvananthapuram. The dates come from a notice issued by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on 9 October 2026, inviting proposals for the festival’s brand identity. Delegate registration had not opened when we wrote this on 12 October, and the fee, the film list and the final venue list were still to come. What does not change much from year to year is how the festival works, and that is what this guide explains: how to get a pass, how to get a seat, where the cinemas are and how to plan eight days in the city. We will update our IFFK page as announcements are made.

IFFK 2026 at a glance

Dates	11–18 December 2026 (scheduled)
Edition	31st
City	Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Organiser	Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, for the Department of Cultural Affairs
Entry	Delegate pass only
Registration	registration.iffk.in (not yet open as of 12 October 2026)
Fee	Not announced for 2026
Competition	Films from Asia, Africa and Latin America
Top award	Suvarna Chakoram (Golden Crow Pheasant) for best film
Last edition	30th IFFK, 12–19 December 2025

What IFFK is

IFFK began in 1994 in Kozhikode, where the first edition ran from 17 to 23 December and screened 100 films to mark the centenary of cinema. The Kerala State Film Development Corporation managed it until 1998, when the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy was formed and took over. International accreditation from FIAPF followed, a competition section was added in 1999, and the festival settled permanently in Thiruvananthapuram.

Its identity is set by that competition, which is open only to films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The top prize is the Suvarna Chakoram, the Golden Crow Pheasant, for best film. Rajata Chakoram awards go to the best director and best debut director and for the audience prize, and juries from NETPAC and FIPRESCI give their own awards, including ones for Malayalam films. There is also a lifetime achievement award for a major filmmaker.

Around the competition the programme includes World Cinema, Malayalam Cinema Today, retrospectives and tributes, along with an Open Forum, conversations with filmmakers and the annual Aravindan Memorial Lecture. The academy says more than 10,000 delegates register, and it is the audience that people remember: students, film-society veterans and first-timers queueing together from nine in the morning.

Getting a delegate pass

There are no single-show tickets at IFFK. You register once as a delegate and the pass admits you to any screening, subject to seats.

1. Watch for the opening date. Registration is online at registration.iffk.in. For the 31st edition it had not opened as of 12 October 2026.
2. Choose your category. Past editions have had a general category and a concessional student category, with separate registration for film professionals and media.
3. Pay the fee. The 2026 fee has not been announced. Recent editions charged ₹1,180 for general delegates and ₹590 for students, GST included.
4. Collect the pass and kit. Passes are issued from the delegate cell at Tagore Theatre in the days before the opening. Carry the photo ID you registered with.

Passes are capped, and in past years the general quota has closed quickly. If you are travelling for the festival, register first and book trains and rooms after.

How seats work

A pass does not guarantee a seat at a particular film. In recent editions the system has worked like this, and it is likely to be similar in 2026:

• Reservation. A large share of the seats for each screening can be reserved in advance through the festival’s website and mobile app, with booking opening the morning before the screening. Each delegate can reserve a limited number of films per day.
• Walk-in queue. The remaining seats are filled from a queue at the hall. For talked-about titles, the queue forms an hour or more ahead.
• Scanning. Volunteers scan your pass at the door. Reserved seats are released if you are not inside a few minutes before the start.

The official IFFK app is available for Android and iPhone. Install it as soon as the schedule is published, shortlist films and set a reminder for the daily booking time.

The venues

The festival’s website lists the venues below. They are the ones used most recently, and the academy confirms the final list for each edition with the schedule.

Venue	Area	Notes
Tagore Theatre	Vazhuthacaud	Festival hub: delegate cell, festival office, Open Forum, exhibitions
Kalabhavan	Vazhuthacaud	The film corporation’s theatre, near the Women’s College
Kairali, Sree and Nila	Thampanoor	Three state-run screens at Aristo Junction, a short walk from the station
New Theatre	Thampanoor	Multi-screen cinema near Aristo Junction
Ariesplex SL Cinemas	Overbridge, Thampanoor	Multiplex on Sahodara Samajam Road
Kripa	Overbridge, Thampanoor	Close to Ariesplex
Ajanta	East Fort	On Power House Road, near Chalai
Sree Padmanabha	East Fort	On East Fort Road
Nishagandhi	Kanakakunnu	Open-air screen; evening shows and ceremonies

The geography is simple once you see it. Thampanoor, around the railway station, has the largest cluster: Kairali Sree Nila, New Theatre, Ariesplex and Kripa are all walkable from one another. The East Fort cinemas are about a kilometre south. Tagore Theatre and Kalabhavan are in Vazhuthacaud, about two kilometres north of the station, and Nishagandhi is another kilometre and a half beyond that, inside the Kanakakunnu Palace grounds.

Getting between screenings

• Walk within the Thampanoor cluster and between Tagore Theatre and Kalabhavan.
• Take an auto between clusters. Thampanoor to Tagore Theatre is a short ride; agree the fare first.
• Use city buses along MG Road for Thampanoor, Statue, Palayam and the Museum.
• Look out for festival transport. In some past editions the organisers have arranged shuttle services between venues. Check the 2026 announcements.
• Leave 30 minutes between films at different clusters, and more in the evening rush.

Thiruvananthapuram has no metro, so everything here is by road, but the distances are short.

Where to stay

Stay within walking distance of one cluster. Thampanoor has the most budget and mid-range hotels and puts you next to four venues and the railway station. Vazhuthacaud and the Statue area are quieter and closer to Tagore Theatre, with a few upscale hotels. Rooms near the station fill for festival week, and rates rise as December approaches because the beach season at Kovalam is starting too, so book in November. If you are on a tight budget, Kovalam is not practical: the last buses back leave too early for the late shows.

A day at IFFK

Screenings begin at about 9 am and the last shows start around 9 or 10 pm, with four or five slots a day on each screen. A workable rhythm looks like this:

• First thing: book the next day’s films on the app as soon as reservations open.
• 9 am: first film, at a hall near where you are staying.
• Late morning to afternoon: two more films in the same cluster, with lunch between.
• 5 pm: tea and the Open Forum at Tagore Theatre, where filmmakers and delegates argue about the day’s films.
• Evening: one more film, or the open-air show at Nishagandhi.

Five films a day is possible; three or four is more enjoyable. Pick up the daily bulletin at Tagore Theatre for schedule changes, and vote in the audience poll for the competition films you have seen.

Practical tips

• Carry the pass and a photo ID everywhere, and keep the pass visible.
• Eat between shows, not during them. The spiral Indian Coffee House next to the Thampanoor bus station and the stalls in the Tagore Theatre compound are the delegates’ canteens.
• Bring a light layer. December is the most pleasant month in the city, but halls are air-conditioned.
• Bring mosquito repellent for Nishagandhi’s open-air screenings.
• Read the schedule for repeats. Most films are screened two or three times, so a missed show is rarely the end.
• Be patient with queues. Seats freed by no-shows go to the queue just before the start.

What else is on that week

The 111-day Soorya Festival is running in the same part of town, so a dance or music evening is easy to add. The Super League Kerala football season ends on 12 December. From the 19th, the city turns to Christmas, with carols, cake fairs and lights; see our Christmas page. And if you are staying on, the coast takes over for the 31st, covered in our New Year’s Eve guide.

Between films, the East Fort cinemas put you next to the temple quarter and Chalai, described on our East Fort page, and the rest of the city is covered in our list of things to do in Trivandrum this weekend. For screenings and talks outside the festival, see the film listings.

Frequently asked questions

When is IFFK 2026?

The 31st International Film Festival of Kerala is scheduled to be held from 11 to 18 December 2026 in Thiruvananthapuram, according to a notice issued by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on 9 October 2026.

How do I register for IFFK 2026?

Through the academy's delegate portal, registration.iffk.in. Registration for the 31st edition had not opened and the fee had not been announced as of 12 October 2026. In past years registration has opened a few weeks before the festival.

How much is the IFFK delegate fee?

The 2026 fee has not been announced. Recent editions charged ₹1,180 for general delegates and ₹590 for students, including GST, so budget for something similar and check the official figure when registration opens.

Where are IFFK films screened?

In cinemas across the city centre. The venue list on the festival's website names Tagore Theatre, Kalabhavan, Kairali Sree Nila, New Theatre, Ariesplex SL Cinemas, Kripa, Ajanta, Sree Padmanabha and the open-air Nishagandhi.

Can I watch a single film without a delegate pass?

No. Screenings are for registered delegates, who can watch any film subject to seat availability. Public events in the Tagore Theatre compound, such as exhibitions and performances, are open to all.

Who organises IFFK?

The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala.

Sources checked

• iffk.in/
• iffk.in/aboutiffk
• iffk.in/venuelist
• iffk.in/information
• iffk.in/31st%20IFFK%20Design%20Proposal_0001%20(1).pdf
• www.keralafilm.com/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Film_Festival_of_Kerala
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanakakkunnu_Palace
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Fort
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soorya_Festival
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Super_League_Kerala
• www.officeholidays.com/countries/india/kerala/2026
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruvananthapuram

Researched and written by the trivandrum2go editors. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.