Mangaluru: The Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA) will host a three-day Malayalam film festival in Bengaluru from Friday.

The KCA, in association with the Department of Information and Public Relations and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, will also screen Kannada films at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, from August 26 to 28.

According to S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu, chairman of KCA, this is a unique effort to exchange the rich cultures of Kerala and Karnataka. The KCA has earlier screened Kannada films in New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, besides screening landmark Bengali films in Bengaluru.

Minister for Bengaluru Development K.J. George will inaugurate the festival at 2.30 p.m. at Chamundeshwari Studios in Vasanthnagar. Film-maker Girish Kasaravalli will deliver the keynote address. Malayalam film personalities such as Dileesh Pothan, Vidhu Vincent and Vinod Fort will participate in the fest and interact with the audience.

Manhole by Vidhu Vincent will the inaugural film. It will be followed by Maheshinte Prathikaaram by Dileesh Pothan.

Aaradi by Saji S. Palamel, Kismath by Shanvas K. Bavakutty, and Kammatti Paadam by Rajeev Ravi will be screened on Saturday.

On Sunday, God Say by Shyju Govind and Sherry Govindan, Mohavalayam by T.V. Chandran, and Kaadu Pookunna Neram by Bijukumar Damodaran will be screened. Kannada film-maker P. Sheshadri will speak about the films.

In Thiruvananthapuram, films that created ripples in the Kannada film industry, including U-Turn of Pawan Kumar, Thithi by Ram Reddy, Kirik Party by Rishab Shetty, Harikatha Prasanga by Ananya Kasaravalli, and Naanu Avanalla Avalu by B.S. Lingadevaru, will be screened.