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Arabic and English-language film, had already been screened as the inaugural film of the festival before permission was withdrawn.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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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
