The 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) has been plunged into a major controversy after the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting refused screening permission for several films. In a bold move, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has declared that all films denied clearance will be screened at the festival, setting the stage for a confrontation with the central government.
Kerala Government's Stern Rejection of Censorship
Taking to Facebook, CM Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned the Union Government's decision. He labelled the denial of screening permission for scheduled films as "unacceptable". The state government framed the ban as a stark example of the suppression of dissenting voices and diverse creative expressions under the current regime.
"The censorship imposed at the film festival is a stark example of the authoritarian rule of the Sangh Parivar regime," Vijayan stated. He asserted that "enlightened Kerala will not bow to such acts of censorship" and reaffirmed the commitment to screen every film that was barred.
Widespread Criticism from Political and Cultural Figures
The controversy has drawn sharp reactions from across the political and cultural spectrum. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described the situation as "most unfortunate." He revealed on X that while his intervention with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw helped clear several films from a longer original list, 19 films still await clearance, primarily from the Ministry of External Affairs.
Tharoor was particularly scathing in his critique of the banned list, which includes classics like "Battleship Potemkin" (1925). "The list of 19 films suggests an extraordinary degree of cinematic illiteracy on the part of the bureaucracy," he wrote. He called the denial of clearance for the century-old Russian classic "laughable." He also criticised the blocking of Palestinian films as "bureaucratic over-cautiousness" and urged Ministers Vaishnaw and S. Jaishankar to grant expeditious clearance.
Eminent filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan echoed the sentiment, expressing disbelief at the ban on classics. "It's like a joke to ban it because almost all of us have these films at home. We keep it as a textbook," he told ANI. He specifically mentioned films like 'The Hour of the Furnaces' and 'Battleship Potemkin', and clarified that the Spanish film 'Beef' is not about eating cow meat. He attributed the decision to a "sheer lack of understanding of the medium of cinema" and "sheer ignorance."
The Root of the Disruption and Festival Details
The disruption stems from the non-availability of a mandatory 'exemption certificate' from the I&B Ministry. For film festivals, movies without a Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate require this special permission. Organisers confirmed that screenings of seven films over two days were stalled, and currently, 19 films lack permission.
The International Film Festival of Kerala 2025 is scheduled to continue until December 19, 2025, in Thiruvananthapuram. The state government's defiant stance promises to keep the issue at the forefront, highlighting a deep-seated cultural and political clash over creative freedom and federal authority.
