The Union government on Monday, December 15, banned 19 films including some on Palestine from screening at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).
Some of these films are based on Palestine, where the occupation by Israel has led to thousands of killings in the last few years, especially in Gaza. The screenings were stalled as the films failed to receive the mandatory Censor Exemption Certificate. Films that do not have censor certification are usually screened at film festivals with a special exemption certificate issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
However, since such clearance was not granted for these 19 films, hence they could not be screened at the festival. Among them were four films dealing with the Palestine issue.
Reacting to the ban, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor criticised the Centre, warning that the episode could embarrass India before the global film community.
Among the 19 films that have been denied screening include Palestinian films Palestine 36, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, All That’s Left of You and Wajib, as well as Sergei Eisenstein’s Soviet-era classic Battleship Potemkin, the latter has been touted as a defining piece of work in modern cinema.
Tharoor sharply criticised the reasoning behind the denial, calling it reflective of an “extraordinary degree of cinematic illiteracy” within the bureaucracy. He pointed out that even internationally acclaimed classics had been denied permission, citing Battleship Potemkin – the 1928 Soviet-era film on the Russian Revolution – as a striking example.
In a post on X, Tharoor said “It is most unfortunate that an unseemly controversy has arisen over the central government’s denial of clearance to 19 films which were scheduled to be screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram.”
Tharoor has also requested Information and Broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnav and External Affairs minister S Jasishankar to grant expeditious clearance and avoid any further embarrassment in the eyes of the cinema lovers of Kerala, and of the world.
Four out of 19 films cleared for screening
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Tuesday cleared four of the 19 films banned from screening at the IFFK. The movies granted permission for screening are ‘Beef’, ‘Eagles of The Republic’, ‘Heart of The Wolf’ and ‘Once Upon A Time In Gaza’, the sources said.
‘Beef’ follows Lati, a young woman from the outskirts of Barcelona, who turns to freestyle rap to confront grief, prejudice, and gender barriers after her father’s death, sources said.
The remaining 15 films awaiting clearance include Sergei Eisenstein’s 100-year-old classic ‘Battleship Potemkin’ and several films related to the Palestine conflict.
Sources said Battleship Potemkin is one of cinema’s most influential works, dramatising the 1905 mutiny aboard the battleship Potemkin, where sailors rebelled against brutal officers and provision of maggot-infested food, turning their struggle into a symbol of collective resistance.
Denial of clearance to Sergei Eisenstein’s film was termed as “laughable” by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in a post on ‘X’.
The 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is being held from December 12 to 19.
With inputs from PTI
