After Malayalam director Kunjila Mascillamani, who protested the exclusion of her film from the third International Women’s Film Festival being held at Kozhikode, was detained by the police, many film personalities have expressed their solidarity with her. They also raised questions regarding transparency of the selection process. Film director Vidhu Vincent, who won the Best Film award in 2017 for the film Manhole, announced that she is withdrawing the film Viral Sebi, which was part of WIFF, in solidarity with Kunjila.
Kunjila had staged a protest against the exclusion of her film Asanghatithar (part of anthology Freedom Fight) from the film festival by occupying a chair on the dais and raising slogans against the CPI(M) and the Chief Minister on Saturday, the opening day of the event. She was forcibly taken away from the venue by the police, taken to Beach Hospital in Kozhikode for medical examination and later released. The three-day film festival is being organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (KSCA) in Kozhikode as part of the Samam project of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. The festival which began at Kairali-Sree theatres in Kozhikode on July 16 will end on July 18.
“I think that the questions raised by Kunjilla over the criteria to select movies in the festival are relevant. But taking people into custody and admitting them in hospitals is a fascist approach and not suitable for festivals like this,” Vidhu wrote on Facebook. Kunjila herself had raised questions regarding the criteria through messages sent to KSCA chairman Ranjith Balakrishnan but they remained unanswered.
Vidhu pointed out that Kunjila did not have an invite for an event organised as part of the festival to honour the film workers from Kozhikode, though she was from the district. Her film Asanghatithar portrays the real life struggle led by women for dignity of labour and for toilets in shops in Kozhikode and features real life personalities like Viji of Penkoottu, who led the agitation. Vidhu said that though there are only a very few women directors in Malayalam, the academy tries to destroy their confidence.
“The explanation they gave while dropping Kunjila’s movie from the festival was that it was a part of an anthology. If so, they could have included it in the short fiction category of the festival. Also, the academy gave another explanation that the priority was given to movies that are not released. But in the Indian movies category other OTT releases were included, so the criteria was applicable only to Malayalam films,” Vidhu wrote.
Jeo Baby, director of the anthology Freedom Fight, said the questions raised by Kunjila are pertinent and have been raised by many in the past three years. “What are the criteria for selecting films for the women’s film festival? Answer to the question is the right of those who believe in democracy,” Baby wrote on Facebook addressing Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
Support for Kunjila began to pour in on social media featuring the hashtag Kunjilakkoppam (With Kunjila ) ever since she was detained. Filmmaker and poet Leena Manimekalai wrote, “I stand in solidarity with Kunjila Mascillamani. Her film “Asanghadithar,” part of the anthology film “Freedom Fight” produced by Jeo Baby, is the first ever original feminist film made in Malayalam. If the International Women’s Film Festival organised by Kerala Chalachitra Academy is not showing Asanghadithar, they better shut it down,” she wrote on Facebook.
She also said that she is glad that she did not accept the screening invitation for her movie Maadathy - An Unfairy Tale at the same festival.
“In fact, I have decided not to ever show my films at the festivals organised by Kerala Chalachitra Academy because of its systemic nepotism and disrespect to local filmmakers,” she added.
Filmmaker Bijukumar Damodaran, in a Facebook post, said the approach of the academy is not democratic but nepotistic. He said that it's the academy’s practice to exclude those who criticise and protest.
“It's shocking how a girl who protested by just using a phone camera was removed using police force. The questions raised by Kunjila regarding the process of selecting movies in this festival and the identity of selection committee members are relevant,” he said.
Bijukumar also pointed out that the academy has not yet set any rules or criteria to select movies.