Malayalam cinema

Not to be confused with Malay cinema.

Malayalam cinema
No. of screensscreens in Kerala state of India (2022)[1]
Main distributorsAashirvad Cinemas
Amal Neerad Productions
Anto Joseph Film Company
Anwar Rasheed Entertainments
Ashiq Usman Productions
August Cinema
AVA Productions
Bhavana Studios
Collective Phase One
E4 Entertainment
Fahadh Faasil and Friends
Friday Film House
Happy Hours Entertainments
Kavya Film Company
Lal Creations
LJ Films
Magic Frames
Mammootty Kampany
Merryland Studio
Mulakuppadam Films
Navodaya Studio
OPM Cinemas
Pauly Jr. Pictures
Prithviraj Productions
Revathy Kalamandhir
Sree Gokulam Movies
Swargachitra
Ram De Studios
Grand Production
Udaya Pictures
Wayfarer Films
Weekend Blockbusters
Working Class Hero
Produced feature films (2023)[2]
Total259
Indian cinema

Malayalam cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Malayalam language, which is widely spoken in the state of Kerala.[3] Malayalam cinema includes the commercial film industry, sometimes known as Mollywood, as well as independent cinema made in Malayalam.

The first Malayalam feature film was Vigathakumaran, a silent film directed and produced by J. C. Daniel. Production started in 1928, and it was released at the Capitol Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram on 23 October 1930.[4] The first talkie in Malayalam was Balan (1938) directed by S. Nottani.[5] During the 1920s, the Malayalam film industry was based in Thiruvananthapuram, although the film industry started to develop and flourish only by the late 1940s. Later the industry shifted to Madras (now Chennai). By the late 1980s, the industry returned to Kerala,[6] establishing Kochi as its hub with most production and post-production facilities located there.[7][8][9][10]

As of 2018, Malayalam cinema has earned numerous accolades at the National Film Awards, including 14 for Best Actor, 6 for Best Actress, 12 for Best Film, and 13 for Best Director.[11] Malayalam cinema garnered international recognition, with Elippathayam (1982) winning the Sutherland Trophy at the London Film Festival, and being named the Most Original Imaginative Film of 1982 by the British Film Institute. Additionally, Marana Simhasanam won the prestigious Caméra d'Or at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

Several Malayalam films have been India's official entries for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards, including Rajiv Anchal's Guru (1997), Salim Ahamed's Adaminte Makan Abu (2011), Lijo Jose Pellissery's Jallikkattu (2019) and Jude Anthany Joseph's 2018 (2023). Other globally acclaimed films include Chemmeen (1965), which received a Certificate of Merit at the Chicago International Film Festival, and a gold medal at the Cannes Film Festival for Best Cinematography.[12] Swaham (1994) won the Bronze Rosa Camuna at the Bergamo Film Meeting in Italy.[13][14][15][16] Malayalam cinema has also produced India's first 3D film, My Dear Kuttichathan (1984).[17] The first CinemaScope film produced in Malayalam was Thacholi Ambu (1978).[18]

  1. ^ Vinayak, A. J. (28 September 2022). "Why films from the South set the box office on fire". The Hindu Business Line. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  2. ^ "The Digital March Media & Entertainment in South India" (PDF). Deloitte. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  3. ^ Kumar, K.G. (18 May 2009). "What Mollywood can learn from Nollywood". Business Line. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference chelangatt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "A nostalgic look at Malayalam cinema". The Hindu. 15 August 2004. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009.
  6. ^ Official website of Information & Public Relations Department Archived 4 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 29 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Kochi sizzling onscreen". The New Indian Express. 29 January 2013. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  8. ^ "Mollywood comes home to Kochi". The Hindu. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 15 May 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Veedu". Malayala Manorama. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Mini-film city at Ramanthuruth". The Times of India. 7 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  11. ^ Chandran 2018, p. 358-361.
  12. ^ "Fifty and still refreshing"[usurped]. The Hindu. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  13. ^ "PIRAVI". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  14. ^ "SWAHAM". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  15. ^ "MARANA SIMHASANAM". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  16. ^ "100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time". IBNLive. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013.
  17. ^ thssk. "Casting a magic spell". Hinduonnet.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "An interview with 'Navodaya' Appachan". Archives.chennaionline.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2008.