12 films get censorship clearance in less than 48 hours, tensions ease at IFFK

The standoff between the Centre and the Kerala government over movie screenings at the 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) eased after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) granted clearance to 12 films within 48 hours.

The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (KSCA), which is organising the festival in Thiruvananthapuram, received censorship exemptions for 12 films after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) had earlier withheld clearance for 19 titles across different sections of the festival.

Even as the exemptions were delayed, the state government had earlier decided to go ahead with the screenings, defying the Centre’s decision. Of the 19 films flagged by the I&B Ministry, the Academy has been unable to obtain a print of one title, effectively excluding it from the festival. Clearance is still pending for six films, but officials said these will be screened as scheduled.

Some of the films that lacked exemption had already been screened before the issue surfaced. The Centre’s move had forced the sudden cancellation of a few shows, sparking protests by delegates and film society activists at festival venues.

Festival authorities said the cancelled screenings would not be rescheduled. “There will be no additional or repeat shows to compensate for the cancellations. Screenings on the remaining days will proceed strictly according to the schedule,” officials told Onmanorama.

KSCA chairman Resul Pookutty had earlier told Onmanorama that the Academy would proceed with the festival as planned. “We will fight this out. We want the IFFK and its spirit to be preserved,” he said.

This marks the first instance in the 30-year history of the IFFK in which the Centre has insisted on MEA clearance for a bunch of films. In 2018, the censorship exemption for Iranian director Majid Majidi’s Muhammad – The Messenger of God was delayed, the only earlier occasion when a film’s screening at the festival was held up. That delay had also triggered protests following a fatwa issued by an Islamist group against Majidi and music composer A R Rahman.

On Tuesday, four of the affected films received clearance, followed by approval for another eight. The withheld titles included restored classics, Palestinian and Sri Lankan films, and previous IFFK award winners.

Films without a censor certificate require a special exemption from the I&B Ministry for festival screenings. Organisers said applications, along with synopses, were submitted 10 days before the festival began.

Pookutty earlier said he had reached out to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to resolve the issue. The exemptions are governed by the Cinematograph Act, 1952, violations of which can invite imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to ₹10 lakh.

The affected films are: A Poet: Unconcealed Poetry; All That’s Left of You; Bamako; Battleship Potemkin; Beef; Clash; Eagles of the Republic; Heart of the Wolf; Once Upon a Time in Gaza; Palestine 36; Red Rain; Riverstone; The Hour of the Furnaces; Tunnels: Sun in the Dark; Yes; Flames; Timbuktu; Wajib; Santosh.