Thiruvananthapuram: The Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry has denied screening permission to 31 films selected for the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), officials said on Saturday.
The films include 18 officially selected for the festival, nine in the International Non-Fiction section, and one in the Nepal package, they said.
One Malayalam film is also among the films denied screening permission.
The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy had submitted a list of 347 films to the Union government seeking exemption from certification requirements for screening them at the festival.
The applications were accompanied by summaries of the themes of the films.
Following a request from the ministry, detailed synopses and screeners of 40 films were subsequently submitted for scrutiny, officials said in a statement here.
Among the films that did not receive permission are ‘Parliament Street’, ‘Sanitized Republic: Cast and Contracts’, ‘Globe’, ‘Memories of a Window’, ‘Birds of War’, and ‘Walk and Our Land’.
Officials said films to be screened at an international film festival are selected by expert committees and that denying screening permission to films chosen through such a comprehensive process limits the curatorial freedom of film festivals.
Reacting to the development, Kerala Tourism, Culture and Cinema Minister P C Vishnunadh sought reconsideration of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry's decision to deny screening permission to some of the films selected by the state Chalachitra Academy's selection committee, an official statement said.
Documentary and short films are important art forms that document various realities and perspectives in society, the minister said.
The basic character of an international film festival is to provide space for diverse ideas, questions and discussions, Vishnunadh said, adding that audiences should have the opportunity to watch films and independently assess and criticise them.
The festival, organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, is scheduled to be held here from September 25 to 30.
