Will screen all films in IFFK, no matter what Centre decides: Vijayan
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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the central government's action of denying permission to films that were to be screened at the Kerala International Film Festival is unacceptable. He said that Kerala will not give in to such censorship, and all films that have been denied permission will be screened at the festival. The Chief Minister said that the censorship at the film festival is a direct reflection of the authoritarian rule of the Sangh Parivar regime that suppresses diverse voices and diverse creative expressions.
The state government has decided to screen all 19 films that the centre denied permission. The culture department has issued an order allowing the State Chalachitra Academy to screen all films, including ‘Palestine 36’. Four of the films that were blocked following the Centre’s permission were screened on Tuesday.
An exemption certificate from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is required to screen films that do not have a censor board certificate. Although the State Chalachitra Academy had submitted an application for this, only 168 out of 187 films were granted permission. As a result, the screening of 19 films was cancelled by Monday evening. There has been strong protest in the state against the Centre’s action.
Although the Centre had given permission for four more films to be screened by Tuesday morning, no decision was taken on the other films. Following this, the state decided to screen them on its own. Kerala Cultural Minister Saji Cherian said that the Centre has adopted an anti-democratic approach towards Kerala's progressive art and cultural tradition, which destroys the tradition and progressive nature, and therefore it could be accepted.
The minister said that the stand against attacks on artistic expressions will continue to be strong. All 19 films have been recognised and well received all over the world, and therefore, the right of the delegates to watch them cannot be denied, he said. The Centre’s move has created an extraordinary crisis at the IFFK, which is a three-decade-old tradition of the state.
Minister Cherian has issued directions to screen all the charted films at the event without interruption as per the schedule.