The inauguration of the third International Women’s Film Festival saw dramatic scenes as director Kunjila Mascillamani, who staged a protest on the stage was forcibly removed by the police. Kunjila was protesting the exclusion of her film Asanghatithar (part of anthology Freedom Fight) from the film festival. The police dragged her away from the stage even as she shouted slogans against the Kerala government. The three-day film festival is being organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (KSCA) in Kozhikode.
Kunjila was taken for a medical examination at Beach Hospital in Kozhikode and later taken to women’s police station. Speaking to TNM, she said, "I was manhandled. The police did not even make it clear if they have recorded an arrest”. She made recordings of her being taken away in a police vehicle and also posted images on her Facebook account. Television reports showed four or five women police officers carrying her from the stage to a jeep parked outside. While she was being dragged away, Kunjila shouted that TP Chandrasekharan was killed by CPI (M) and that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lied.
In one of her FB posts, shared earlier today, Kunjila posted a screenshot of her message, reportedly to the Chairman of KSCA, Ranjith. In the text message she has asked for details of the committee, curators who selected films for Women's Film Festival in Kozhikode and the selection process. She has also asked him why Asanghatithar was excluded from the film festival. The film Asanghatithar portrays the real life struggle led by women for dignity of labour and for toilets in shops in Kozhikode.
Later, during the inauguration event, Ranjith said that the festival does not have funds to purchase movies from OTT platforms and display them. Though Ranjith did not refer to Kunjila or her movie, a source who was part of the event told TNM that he was trying to give an explanation on why Kunjila's movie was not listed in the event.
However, others pointed out that other movies playing on OTT platforms had been included in the festival.