Some of the documentary filmmakers like K.R. Manoj, Babu Kambrath, Shiny Jacob, Benjamin, Aneez K. Mappila, Aswin Krishnakumar have send an open letter to the Chalachitra Academy officials against its announcement at a press meet of IDSFFK, that the long documentary that wins award in IDSFFK will make it straight to the Oscars. According to the directors, this is an easy shortcut for the American Academy to pick the best of the innumerable documentaries made all over the world every year, but is of no use if made applicable in a place like Kerala. In the letter they say. “There was not a single long documentary from Malayalam in the competition section of IDSFFK! If one can't reach even that far, how farther away are the Oscars? So, this Oscar nomination carrot is not meant for the locals!” The directors in the letter have also openly criticised the academy for not providing any reservation to any of the local films unlike the 27 other festivals that the American Academy has nominated to recruit for them, which provide reservation for films from their own land.
