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The cancellation of several screenings at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) has come to the fore again after Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairperson Resul Pookutty reacted to the controversy on December 18. Pookutty said that the state government is not opposing the cancellation of six remaining films due to a bureaucratic logjam and not for political reasons.
He also said that the Union government has sent notices regarding the screening of these six titles.
The films still denied censor exemption are Eagles of the Republic, Clash and A Poet (Egypt), All that’s left of you (Palestine), Yes (Israel) and Flames (India).
Earlier, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) had refused to issue censor exemption certificates required for screening 19 films at IFFK, including several Palestinian titles and one Israeli film. On December 16, Kerala’s Minister for Culture Saji Cherian said that the state government would screen the banned titles.
The Kerala government’s stance led to hasty exchanges with the Union government.
“It made everything easy when the [state] government took that stance. The Union government immediately cleared another 13 films for screening,” Pookutty said on December 18.
However, six films are yet to be granted censor exemption.
The I&B Ministry sent notices saying that other provisions of the Cinematographic Act will come into effect if their directive is violated and that there would be prosecution, he added.
“I made a decision to give in because we didn't want to create an atmosphere of defiance. We didn't want this to affect international relations,” Pookutty said.
He also said that the Union government has not provided any reason to deny censor exemption for these six films.