The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has denied the 2025 International Film Festival of Kerala permission to screen 19 films, a list that includes four films about Palestine.
The films about Palestine that have been denied permission are Palestine 36, Yes, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, and All That’s Left of You. These titles had already undergone an initial screening at the festival. Palestine 36, an Arabic and English language film, was the inaugural film of the event.
The other films that were denied permission are A Poet: Unconcealed Poetry, Bamako, director Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 classic Battleship Potemkin, Spanish film 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.
The organisers submit film titles to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in advance for approval. The ministry has the authority to reject films that are deemed to be damaging to diplomatic relations.
No reasons were provided for denying permission for the screenings, Kerala authorities said.
The film festival is organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, which functions under the state’s cultural affairs department. The annual event is attended by thousands of delegates.
The event in Thiruvananthapuram began on December 12 and will conclude on December 19.
“This absurd and lunatic attempt to derail IFFK, which is organized by the Government of Kerala, is the latest example of the neo-fascist tendencies of the extreme authoritarian rule under Modi, Shah, and Mohan Bhagwat. Artists, filmmakers, and all democratic-minded citizens must raise their voices against this disgraceful move,” said MA Baby, the general secretary of the state’s ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).
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