Southern filmmakers are angry with organisers of the just concluded International Film Festival of India (IFFI) for giving undue importance to Bollywood and are threatening to boycott the event next year.

Award-winning Tamil and Malayalam director T.V. Chandran came down heavily on the organisers and said filmmakers from the south might not participate next year if they are not given equal importance.

Well-known Tamil director-actor Cheran, whose film "Thavamai Thavamiirindu" was showcased at IFFI, was annoyed because the usual procedure before a film's screening in such festivals was not followed. He was allowed to speak on the occasion only when he threatened to walk out.

"It is not Bollywood alone that represents Indian cinema," an angry Cheran told.

Nine of Chandran's films, including his first Tamil film "Aadum Koothu", were screened at the festival. But he was "extremely unhappy" because of "the profound lack of knowledge" about the south.

Both Cheran and Chandran were surprised that the festival directorate had not given proper prominence and publicity to south Indian films selected for the Indian Panorama.

They criticised the "lack of publicity" for their films and said publicity material was not used even though it had been sent to the organisers before the screening. The focus, filmmakers said, was on "pleasing the invitees from Bollywood".

Well-known Kannada film director Girish Kasaravalli has called for IFFI being shifted to southern venues other than Goa, a proposal that has found support from many filmmakers from southern states.