By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
The refusal of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to give permission for three documentaries to be exhibited in the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) has drawn huge ire from the state government, cultural and political activists in Kerala. The I&B Ministry denied censor exemption for documentaries dealing with the JNU protests, the unrest in Kashmir and on the suicide of Rohith Vemula citing no specific reason.
Cultural Minister A K Balan has come down heavily against the denial saying the government can’t accept such moves. A Facebook post by the minister said the decision was unfair.
“The fascist style of silencing protests has been haunting the country. This can’t be accepted. I can’t understand why someone turns apprehensive when current issues are filmed,” he said.
The Unbearable Being of Lightness, In the Shade of Fallen Chinar and March are the three documentaries that have been denied permission. The first film, directed by P N Ramachandra deals with students protests which erupted following Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula while the second documentary, directed by N C Fazil and Shawn Sebastian, is a short visual description that explores the lives of a group of young Kashmiri artistes. The film features the inspirations behind their art and how art takes the form of resistance in the Kashmir valley. March, March, March, directed by Kathu Lukose features the student protests at Jawaharlal Nehru University last year and discusses their effect on the student uprising across the country.
The tenth edition of the festival will kickstart in the capital city on June 16.
However, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy has appealed against the decision. Academy chairman Kamal said there is a cultural emergency in the country.
“The country has been going through an undeclared emergency with the government is ordering us what to eat, what to read and what to watch,” he said.
Meanwhile, Students Federation of India (SFI) has decided to exhibit the three films in the campuses across the state in a protest against the ban.
Last year, the Ministry had denied permission to two films- Ka Bodyscapes by Jayan Cherian and Muhammed by Majid Majidi for International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). The former was exhibited following the Kerala High Court directing the Ministry to grant exemption to the film after a plea was filed by the filmmaker. But the later was denied permission and no reasons were given even after repeated pleas by the Kerala Chalachitra Academy.