New Delhi: 13 of 19 films cleared for IFFK after Centre’s exemption denial; controversy continues over six titles
At least 13 of the 19 films earlier denied censor exemption by the Union government for screening at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) have now been cleared, an official of the Kerala Chalachitra Akademi said on Wednesday. The development comes even as the state government reiterated its intention to showcase all 19 titles at the event.
According to reports, six films are still awaiting exemption. The ministry of external affairs has reportedly advised withholding clearance on the grounds that their screening could strain India’s diplomatic relations with certain countries.
Santhosh Keezhattoor, a member of the executive board of the Akademi, which organises the annual festival, told HT: “The Union government has verbally given us approval to screen 13 of the 19 films that had been denied censor exemption. Six films are still pending to be cleared. We are being told that there could be global diplomatic friction if we screen them.”
“It is beyond logic because some of the films which are not being cleared have been previously screened at film festivals in India, including IFFK,” he added.
On Tuesday, the Kerala government announced that it would direct the Akademi and IFFK officials to screen all 19 films at the ongoing festival in Thiruvananthapuram, regardless of whether they receive censor exemption from the Centre.
The exemption refusal had triggered widespread criticism, with several filmmakers and political leaders condemning what they described as efforts to stifle artistic freedom. Kerala’s culture minister Saji Cheriyan had called the Union government’s move an “anti-democratic stance” and an attack on the “rich culture of the state and the progressive nature of the film festival”.
Meanwhile, a former artistic director of the festival attributed the row to procedural lapses by the organisers.
Deepika Suseelan, who served as artistic director during the 2022 edition, said the censor exemption process is not instantaneous and requires at least a month. She added that for a festival scheduled in December, the list of films seeking exemption, along with synopses and related documents, should have been submitted in the first week of November.
“Instead of pursuing due process, the organisers seem to have opted for public outrage, which raises serious questions about intent. If the objective was a PR stunt, then the purpose has been served,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
Keezhattoor dismissed claims of any delay in sending entries for exemption. “There was a bit of apprehension due to the festival dates clashing with the counting of the local body polls, but otherwise, there was no delay in sending the entries for exemption. The Akademi has a clear idea and documents related to when the e-mails for exemption were sent,” he said.
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