19 movies, including Russian classic and 3 by Palestinian filmmaker, denied I&B nod for Kerala film festival

A senior functionary of the academy said the I&B Ministry has not pointed out any reason for denying censor exemption to the 19 films. “These films do not fall into any particular category. The Ministry has not cited any reasons for the decision. If not granted, the screening of these films will have to be cancelled,” he said.

The official said that of the 19 films denied censor exemption, three are by Palestinian filmmakers, while another film by an Israeli filmmaker has been granted exemption for screening. The Russian film Battleship Potemkin is a 1925 silent movie related to the Soviet revolution. Another film, The Hour of the Furnaces, is an Argentine political film that has been screened widely. Another is the Spanish title Beef. “There is no common factor among these 19 films, nor do they fall into any category that leads to their denial of censor exemption,” he said.

The 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 (Địa Đạo: Mặt Trời Trong Bóng Tối)’, ‘Yes’, ‘Flames’, ‘Timbuktu’ and ‘Wajib’.

Among these, the screening of seven movies including ‘Battleship Potemkin’ have been so far cancelled for want of sanction from the I&B Ministry.

Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan told the media that the denial of screening exemption for these films may be due to ignorance on the part of certain people. “They may not have any idea about these films. Many of these are world classics and have been screened at several festivals. The decision should be reviewed. A film should not be judged on its title,” he said.

According to the ministry’s policy for certification of films for film festivals, censor exemption is granted to films meant to be screened before delegates and those associated with the film industry. At the same time, the Ministry has the power to reject censor exemption if it affects the security and integrity of the country, law and order, or relations with other countries.

The Indian Express sent a query to the I&B ministry and a response is awaited.