IFFK puts 19 films on hold amid pending censor approval; Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Kamal express disappointment

In film festivals, movies without a Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate are usually screened after obtaining a special ‘exemption certificate’ from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. However, the non-availability of this certificate has triggered the current disruption at IFFK.

Director Adoor Gopalakrishnan expressed his displeasure over the banning of classic films like The Hour of the Furnaces and Battleship Potemkin at IFFK 2025.

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While talking to ANI, Gopalakrishnan said, “Films like Battleship Potemkin, The Hour of the Furnaces are the classics of cinema. I studied those films in my school days, in my film institute days. So, it’s like a joke to ban it because almost all of us have these films at home. We keep it as a textbook. So, you cannot stop.” The director described the decision as the “sheer lack of understanding” of the cinema by the organisers.

He continued, “To advertise one’s ignorance like this is very bad for the government, very bad for the people. They should reconsider the ban on these films, and their decisions should not be based solely on the titles. So, the whole thing is based on a sheer lack of understanding of the medium of cinema. So, they should have some humility to learn. It looks like it is sheer ignorance, nothing else.”

Director Kamal also expressed his disappointment and anger with the ban of films like Battleship Potemkin. “Very disappointing and very much angry with this ban. They have banned the movie Badger Chip Potamkin. Why? Classic. The history of the cinema starts from Badger Chip Potamkin. So, that film they are banning. Why?” said Kamal while talking to ANI.

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Screenings of several films, including the internationally acclaimed classic Battleship Potemkin, have been affected, causing inconvenience to delegates and audiences attending the festival.

Organisers are reportedly in talks with the authorities to resolve the issue at the earliest.