New Delhi: The high court will hear a petition seeking the removal of a Central ban on the screening of four short-films at the competition and focus sections of the upcoming Xth International Documentary Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK).
The court, on Thursday, deferred the hearing to Friday after the makers of In The Shade of Fallen Chinar and March March March, two of the four short-films banned, approached it seeking to upturn the Union information and broadcasting ministry's order.
Meanwhile, a group of 178 film-makers shot a letter to union minister Venkaiah Naidu, who handles the I&B portfolio, seeking to know why the films had been denied screening permission.
Also read: Kashmir, Vemula and JNU: Wary Center silences three short movies
Slamming the central government over its move to 'stifle political debates and freedom of expression,' the film-makers said the film fraternity had been deeply disturbed at the government's decision.
"We are part of a community of film-makers and artists who are deeply disturbed by these attempts to restrict artistic voices. We cannot support actions that deprive audiences of meaningful cinema and endanger the democratic values of our country," the group said in a statement.
In The Shade of Fallen Chinar, directed by Shawn and Fazil N.C, was shot in Kashmir valley a few days before Burhan Wani's death, which triggered widespread protests. March March March, a film on the protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University, and The Unbearable Being of Lightness, which has a plot with the backdrop of Rohit Vemula suicide are the other films which irked the union government's censors. Muhajir is the fourth film on the list which had irked the I&B ministry.
In The Shade of Fallen Chinar and March March March were in competition section and The Unbearable Being of Lightness was to be screened as part of Focus section of IDSFFK, set to begin at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on June 16.
Condemning the actions, the film-makers demanded that "the ministry should issue censor exemption letter to the three films and ensure that films at festivals do not face and arbitrary censorship in future."
"We unequivocally condemn this action by the ministry of information and broadcasting and lend our unqualified support to IDSFFK and the film-makers who are being prevented from screening their films," the film-makers said.
