New Delhi: After the Information and Broadcasting Ministry refused to give censor exemption to 19 films for screening at the ongoing International Film Festival of Kerala, the state Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian on Tuesday directed the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy to screen all the films. The minister, in a statement, slammed the Union government for adopting “an anti-democratic approach towards Kerala’s progressive art and cultural tradition.”
Initially, the I&B Ministry denied censor exemption certificates to 19 films, including Palestinian. On Tuesday morning, it cleared five of the 19 films — Beef, Eagles of The Republic, Heart of The Wolf, Once Upon A Time In Gaza, and Yes.
The festival, which started on 12 December in Thiruvananthapuram, will conclude on 19 December.
“The right of the delegates to watch these films cannot be denied. These were published in the festival schedule as well as the festival book that have been widely circulated,” said Cherian.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also called out the central government’s stance in a lengthy post on X.
“Denying permission to some Palestinian films reflects bureaucratic over-cautiousness rather than the cultural breadth of vision that should be involved when it comes to world cinema,” wrote Tharoor.
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Increased scrutiny
The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which started in 1996 and is in its 30th year, has faced increased scrutiny in the last two-three years.
“Getting an exemption from the Union Ministry has always been part of the due process, it would usually get done quite easily. But in the last two three sessions, the ministry has asked for synopsis and other paraphernalia, making the process extremely difficult,” a former chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy told ThePrint.
Among the films that were denied screening include Palestinian films Palestine 36, All That’s Left of You, and Wajib, as well as Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 classic Battleship Potemkin. The ministry also denied clearance for the Hindi-language film Santosh, which shows police brutality and casteism. The film was earlier denied clearance for theatrical release in India. Its OTT release has also been delayed indefinitely.
Santosh was the UK’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards.
“It is ridiculous that they have refused to give clearance for Battleship Potemkin, which is even taught at FTII Pune, and people all over the world have seen it. What is the reasoning behind banning it,” asked the former chairman.
Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu (2014) and Bamako (2006) are also among the films that didn’t get the I&B Ministry’s green signal. Meanwhile, Sissako is being honoured by the IFFK with a Lifetime Achievement Award this year. The Egyptian drama Clash and Argentinian filmmaker Fernando Solanas’ The Hour of the Furnaces, which were screened in the past editions of the festival, have also failed to get a nod from the ministry. Other films that are part of the list include Red Rain, Riverstone, Tunnels: Sun in the Dark, and Flames.
“A major chunk of the state’s tax revenue is taken away as GST from the Centre, but allocations to the state have been cut down. When we try other means of revenue generation, like cinema tourism through the IFFK, then such obstructions are created,” said Cherian.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)