The Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL), South India’s largest literary festival, has unveiled a striking new visual identity for its eighth edition, marking the countdown to MBIFL ’27. The festival will be held from 28–31 January 2027 at the iconic Kanakakkunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam capital.
The new identity was introduced across Keralam through a front-page French window advertisement in Mathrubhumi’s editions. At its centre is a reimagined, expandable ‘ka’, derived from the Malayalam letter and developed as an open form that can continuously adapt. Its flexible structure allows the identity to expand across formats, ideas and expressions, reflecting the festival’s growing scale and scope.
The new ‘ka’ combines bold geometry with softer edges, reflecting the breadth of ever-expanding topics discussed at MBIFL. The open space at its centre creates room for diverse voices and perspectives. The identity establishes a distinctive visual system that can grow with the festival and the changing world around it.
The creative concept reflects the expansive nature of MBIFL itself. Its flexible structure allows the identity to extend across formats, ideas and expressions, mirroring the festival’s growing scale and its ever-expanding range of conversations. The new ‘Ka’ combines bold geometry with softer edges, reflecting the breadth of subjects explored at MBIFL, while the open space at its centre creates room for diverse voices, perspectives and possibilities.
MBIFL ’27 will bring together more than 500 writers, thinkers and artists from India and around the world. Over four days, the festival will offer an expansive programme that celebrates culture in its many forms, featuring film screenings, performances, design conversations and discussions on politics, media, innovation and contemporary issues.
Over the years, MBIFL has grown into a vibrant meeting ground for writers, artists, intellectuals and audiences from diverse backgrounds. Each edition has created a space for listening, reflection, dialogue and discovery, encouraging conversations that extend well beyond the boundaries of literature.
With its eighth edition, MBIFL once again opens its doors to a world of ideas—where letters become language, language becomes expression, and expression becomes a conversation.
“MBIFL has always sought to create a space where literature becomes a starting point for larger conversations about society, culture and the world we live in. The new identity, inspired by the Malayalam letter ‘Ka’, takes us back to the very roots of language while opening a world of possibilities. As we enter our eighth edition, we remain committed to bringing together voices from different cultures, disciplines and perspectives, and to creating conversations that resonate far beyond the festival itself.”- M V Shreyams Kumar — Festival Chairman, Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters
“At MBIFL, we believe that a literary festival must be more than a celebration of books—it must be a space for ideas, encounters and conversations. The eighth edition brings together an exciting range of voices and disciplines, creating opportunities for audiences to discover new perspectives and engage with the questions shaping our times. With its new visual identity, MBIFL ’27 begins this journey with a renewed sense of energy and possibility”.
Mayura Shreyams Kumar – Festival Director, Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters- “MBIFL has always been about bringing different worlds, ideas and people into the same space and seeing where the conversation takes us. As we move into our eighth edition, we want the festival to reflect the world we live in today—complex, curious, constantly changing and full of questions.
At MBIFL, the conversation is never limited to one subject or one kind of voice. We talk about anything and everything that shapes the way we live, think, create and understand the world around us. That could mean literature, cinema, design, politics, science, food, technology, culture, or something completely unexpected.
The new identity reflects that same spirit—open, evolving and always curious about what comes next. That sense of discovery, and the freedom to move across ideas without boundaries, has become an important part of what MBIFL is-Devika Shreyams Kumar – Festival Director, Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters