In a pioneering initiative, the Government of Kerala set up Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (Motion Picture Academy of the Kerala State) in August 1998. The first of its kind in the country, the Academy is an effort to counter the gross commoditization of the film medium and a rightful recognition of the contribution of cinema to the cultural enlightenment of the society. It is guided by the motto that Cinema should contribute to the complete development of human being, both as an individual and as a social being. The Academy today has become a major player in the cultural landscape of Kerala reaching students, teachers, and ordinary people through various initiatives designed to carry the message of cinema as not only a means of entertainment but of serious academic reflection and a tool to preserve and document the history of society. Core objectives of the Academy include being a link between the Government and the film industry, the conducting of Film Festivals all over the State, the preservation and propagation of Malayalam Cinema, to intervene in film education, to document the History of Malayalam Cinema, the honoring of persons and films that contribute to the aesthetics of Malayalam cinema.