5 months ago
1
Kerala’s Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian connected Tuesday (December 16, 2025) directed the State Chalachitra Academy to screen each the films arsenic per docket for the ongoing 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), including the remaining 15 films for which the Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has not yet provided censor exemption.
The Minister, successful a statement, lashed retired astatine the Union authorities for adopting “an anti-democratic attack towards Kerala's progressive creation and taste tradition.”
"Such an anti-democratic attack that destroys the contented and progressive quality of the festival cannot beryllium accepted. The authorities volition proceed to instrumentality an uncompromising basal against attacks connected creator expressions," helium said.
He said each the 19 films that were denied Central support were recognised worldwide and were good received by movie buffs. “The close of the delegates to ticker these films cannot beryllium denied. These were published successful the festival docket arsenic good arsenic the festival publication that person been wide circulated,” helium said.
The Union government's denial of censor exemption had created an unprecedented situation successful the IFFK, which has been successful beingness for 3 decades. Political and taste figures person voiced disapproval of the Centre, alleging a clampdown connected state of expression. The main festival venue astatine Tagore Theatre witnessed protests by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) connected Monday night.
Five movies get clearance
Early connected Tuesday, the I&B Ministry issued clearance for 5 of the 19 films. The movies granted support for screening are Beef, Eagles of The Republic, Heart of The Wolf, Yes, and Once Upon A Time In Gaza.
Among the films which denied screening see Palestinian films Palestine 36 and All That's Left of You, and Wajib, arsenic good arsenic Sergei Eisenstein's Soviet-era classical Battleship Potemkin, considered arsenic a defining enactment of modern cinema, particularly for its pioneering montages. The Ministry besides denied clearance for the movie Santosh, which portrays constabulary brutality and casteism.
Timbuktu and Bamako, directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, who is being honoured by the IFFK with a Lifetime Achievement Award this year, person besides been denied screening. Bamako points astatine the relation played by World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) ‘in keeping Africa poor.’
Many of the films successful the list, including the Egyptian play Clash and Argentinian filmmaker Fernando Solanas' The Hour of the Furnaces, were screened successful the past editions of the festival. The different films which person been denied certification are Red Rain, Riverstone, Tunnels: Sun successful the Dark, and Flames.
