Centre's ban on docus and shorts: Spared filmmakers to boycott IDSFFK awards

Thiruvananthapuram: Kamal K M, Ameya Gore, Harshappi Harsh, Shijin Govind and Debalina Majumder are Indian filmmakers whose films have been screened in the various competition sections of this year's International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK). But what brings them together is another act of rebellion: They have decided to boycott the IDSFFK awards.

"If I win, I won't accept the award," said Ameya Gore, whose 'Going Solo' is in the Long Documentary Competition. "My film has not been banned, but I want to stand in solidarity with filmmakers whose films have been banned. It can seem counter intuitive, because if some films drop out, our chances of winning increase. The question I asked myself is 'Is this what I can call a win?'. I don't want to collect the trophy by climbing on the people who have been denied a screening here," Gore said.

To begin with, the Union government had asked the Chalachithra Academy, the organisers of IDSFFK, to keep out of the competition 31 films that were filtered through a long and arduous selection process. The number has now come down to five. Two long documentaries - 'Parliament Streets' (Spandan Banerjee) and 'Redlight to Limelight' (Bipuljit Basu); two short documentaries - 'Sanitised Republic: Cast(e) & Contracts' (Afiya and Rizwan) and 'The Mali and the Parasite (Sankaraa); and one short fiction - 'In Search of Buddha' (Sharanya Deyy).

Time is running out. The festival closes on September 30.

Shijin Govind's film, 'Globe', was among the 31 originally taken into preventive detention but was eventually screened on September 27. "I have no idea why my film was looked upon with suspicion. It is an adaptation of N Prabhakaran's short story 'Globe'. The only reason I can tell is that it tells the story of tribals," Shijin told Onmanorama.

But he has had enough. "Why should such a competition section exist if many have been denied screening. Competition happens only when all selected films are shown. Let all films be seen. We can express our disapproval about a film, and we have the space at the IDSFFK for such critical communication. But denial is not the way. I will always be with the filmmakers," Shijin said.

Noted filmmaker Kamal's long documentary 'Close Up Up Close -The making of political Ubu' is in the IDSFFK competition. "My film has not been denied screening. But one thing that worried me when I stepped into this festival was the exclusion of other films. My film has been granted entry, but it feels like a personal loss to know that other films that have been selected for the competition have been denied a screening," Kamal said.

He has no other choice but to rebel. "It is our responsibility as fellow filmmakers, and also as filmgoers, to show that the filmmakers who have been left out are not alone," Kamal said.

Harshappi Harsh, a trans non-binary filmmaker whose 20-minute short documentary 'Bathakka Hridayam Thunnamponu' (To Stitch Together a Watermelon Heart) is in the competition, is disappointed with the Academy. "It is frustrating that the Academy has not officially come out and said that it stood with the filmmakers who had come all the way from various parts of the country to the festival with high hopes. People should hear the stories of the marginalised communities, of the people who have been suppressed and silenced. Why have they still not given any reason for keeping out certain films," Harsh lamented.

It was ironic for Harsh that Israeli filmmaker Liat Kaplan's short 'Ishto' (His Wife) was screened at IDSFFK but Indian filmmakers were banned. "Usually, IDSFFK stands with the oppressed Palestinian people. But this time a Zionist filmmaker was invited to the festival. An Israeli film is screened while some of ours are not," Harsh said, and added: "I am also boycotting the awards. There is no fair competition if some films have been kept out."

Debalina Majumder, whose 'Friends of Jilipibala' is in the short documentary competition, also declared her boycott. "If I win, I will boycott the award," Majumder said that the number of films in the suspect list had been increasing.

Interestingly, some politically explosive films have managed to hoodwink the Centre's 'art screening' radar. "In a documentary that I saw today, the filmmaker was asking a woman in Jharkhand: 'Apko kya chahiye?' (What do you want?) and she replies: 'Ram mandir ko ban gaye. Abhi mera ghar bana do' (Now that you have constructed the Ram Mandir, why not construct a house for me?')," Majumder said. Her friend reminded her the name of the woman in the documentary who made the bold statement. Kaushalya! Originally the name of Lord Ram's mother. Majumder couldn't control her laughter. Those in the Information and Broadcasting somehow missed the impish humour.

Usually, the I&B Ministry has a tendency to get into a swimsuit at the sight of a mirage. Filmmaker Kamal recalled that at the last IFFK the title of a Spanish musical, 'Beef', sounded so provocative that it was sought to be banned. The film had nothing to do with cows; it was about rap music.

The films that still remain banned at this year's IDSFFK could also have troubled the I&B Ministry by their titles. 'Parliament Streets', 'Redlight to Limelight', 'Sanitised Republic: Cast(e) & Contracts', 'The Mali and the Parasite', 'In Search of Buddha'.

For Spandan Banerjee, who made 'Parliament Streets', it is a cruel joke, but he is encouraged by the support. "We have filmmakers whose films are being shown, and they are with us. They say that if our films are not being included in the competition, then the entire competition section should be abandoned this year. And that will keep up the respect of this festival," he said.