‘No reason given’: Keralam govt claims 31 films ‘denied’ screening at documentary and film festival

Keralam minster for culture PC Vishnunadh said on Sunday that the Union ministry of information and broadcasting has not stated reasons for denying screening permission to 31 films at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) scheduled to be held in the state capital later this month.

While films at festivals like IDSFFK do not require a censor certificate, they need to be granted permission for screening by the Union ministry, as they are not certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

“They (Centre) had asked for detailed synopses for several of these films, which we sent the next day. Around 31 films have not been granted permission for screening. Neither has the ministry stated reasons for not granting permission nor has it said that it is denying permission. It has only sent us the list of films that have been granted permission,” the minister said.

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“The Kerala State Chalachitra Akademi has requested the concerned department to grant exemption to these 31 films too. We are awaiting their response. If there are issues related to the content of these films, the department should clarify. They are all films that were picked up after a careful selection process,” Vishnunadh added.

Among the films denied permission for screening are Sanitised Republic: Cast(e) and Contracts, which deals with the lives of sanitation workers employed at Delhi’s hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic; Parliament Street, a film that explores public and personal memories associated with the Delhi landmar; Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk, that looks at life in conflict-torn Gaza through video calls between two persons, and Malayalam film Globe, that shines a spotlight on tribal life in Attappady.

At the International Film Festival of Kerala last year too, several films were denied censor exemption by the Centre. However, the state went ahead and screened several of them.