Pinarayi Vijayan assures Kerala will screen all films banned by centre at IFFK
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that all films denied screening permission by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2025 would be screened at the event. The CM called the Centre’s decision unacceptable and an assault on creative freedom.
In a statement shared on Facebook posted on Monday, Vijayan said the refusal to grant permission for several films scheduled at the 30th edition of IFFK shows an attempt to curb dissent and silence diverse artistic voices. He assured that Kerala would not submit to what he described as censorship imposed by the Union government. The CM also reaffirmed that all films barred from screening would be shown at the festival.
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The state government, led by the Left Democratic Front, said the move amounted to suppression of creative expression under an authoritarian political framework. Vijayan said “enlightened Kerala” would resist such actions and ensure that filmmakers and audiences were not denied access to the works selected for the festival.
Among the films denied permission are four that deal with the Palestinian experience, Palestine 36, Yes, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, and All That’s Left of You. Notably, Palestine 36, an Arabic and English-language film, had already been screened as the inaugural film of the festival before permission was withdrawn.
Several other international and classic films were also barred, including A Poet: Unconcealed Poetry, Bamako, Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 classic Battleship Potemkin, Beef, Clash, Eagles of The Republic, Heart of The Wolf, Red Rain, Riverstone, The Hour of The Furnaces, Tunnels: Sun In The Dark (Địa Đạo: Mặt Trời Trong Bóng Tối), Flames, Timbuktu, Wajib, and Santosh.
Festival organisers said film titles are routinely submitted in advance to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for approval, as the ministry has the authority to deny screenings if films are considered harmful to India’s diplomatic relations. Kerala authorities said no specific reasons were communicated for rejecting the films.
The International Film Festival of Kerala is organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy under the state’s cultural affairs department and this year's edition began in Thiruvananthapuram on December 12, which is scheduled to conclude on December 19.
CPI(M) state secretary M A Baby said the attempt to block film screenings was aimed at derailing a globally respected cultural event organised by the Kerala government. He described the move as an expression of “neo-fascist tendencies” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and called on artists, filmmakers and democratic voices across the country to protest against what he termed a disgraceful act.
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Congress misleading public on National Herald case, matter still in court: BJP
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress of running misleading propaganda over the trial court's decision in the National Herald case and said the court refused to take cognisance of the complaint but did not set aside the case.
The case is still pending trial in the Delhi High Court, and the trial court in its order on Tuesday said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) can continue its investigation, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia asserted.
"The court yesterday (Tuesday) said that since it is a private complaint and no FIR has been lodged, it will not take cognizance of it. It's a technical matter. The court also said that ED can continue its investigation further. The court did not set it aside," Bhatia told a press conference at the BJP headquarters here
"Its trial is still going on. Sonia Gandhi is still Accused Number-1 and Rahul Gandhi Accused Number-2," the BJP spokesperson said, alleging, "The Gandhi family thrives on deceit, deception, and propaganda."
