The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will screen all films as scheduled despite the Centre’s denial of clearance for screening over a dozen films at the festival, Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman Resul Pookutty said on Tuesday.
IFFK 2025, which commenced on 12 December in Thiruvananthapuram, will conclude on 19 December.
"I am happy to let you know, dousing all the fire on the controversies regarding film screening in the IFFK, we are going ahead with all the screenings of the film as scheduled as per the notification issued by the Kerala government and long live cinema," Pookutty said in a video message on Instagram.
Sources told news agency PTI that the academy took the decision after the Left government in Kerala decided to defend freedom of expression following delays in obtaining official censor exemptions to screen around 15 films, including some related to the Palestine conflict and Sergei Eisenstein’s 100-year-old classic Battleship Potemkin.
Earlier in the day, four of the 19 movies awaiting the Centre's approval for screening were granted official censor exemptions.
Discussions were held with the Union ministry of information and broadcasting to obtain permission to screen these films at the 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), as per a PTI report.
