Censor exemption delay stalls screening of 19 films at international film festival

Thiruvananthapuram: Screenings of 19 films at the International Film Festival of Kerala have been stalled after the organisers failed to obtain censor exemption certificates. The affected titles include films themed on Palestine as well as works critical of the Union government’s policies.

The Centre for Film Certification usually requires films without a censor certificate to be shown at festivals under a special exemption issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Organisers said such exemptions were not granted in this case, making it impossible to go ahead with the screenings.

Four films in the Palestine package are among those denied permission. The opening film, Palestine 36, also did not receive clearance.

CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby alleged that there was a deliberate attempt to undermine the film festival. He said the refusal to allow the screening of these films showed that the country was heading in a dangerous direction, and criticised those opposing the screenings as acting irrationally.

Other films that failed to secure screening permission include Timbuktu by Abderrahmane Sissako, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival, Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin, and the Spanish film Beef.

Denial of exemptions had disrupted the scheduled programme and raised serious concerns over artistic freedom at international cultural events.