Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 17 (PTI) The 26th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) has been postponed in the wake of surging COVID-19 cases, State Cultural Minister Saji Cherian said. The annual festival, organised by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala, was set to be held from February 4-11, here. The minister said the IFFK will now take place after bringing the COVID situation under control. The prestigious eight-day movie gala, which is usually held in December, screens films from across the world in coveted categories like International Competition, Malayalam Cinema Today, Indian Cinema Now, World Cinema, Country Focus, Retrospectives of major filmmakers among others. Kerala has been witnessing a sharp spike in the COVID-19 cases for the past one week. On Sunday, the state reported 18,123 fresh infections, taking the total number of COVID-19 positive cases to 53,69,706. PTI TGB BN JUR SHD SHD