Kerala's film festival witnessed a strange conflict and controversy surrounding film screenings. The central Ministry of Information and Broadcasting suddenly imposed a ban on the screening of 19 films that were scheduled to be shown at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). After this created intense political controversy, the central Ministry of External Affairs lifted the ban on 12 films within a few hours.
Notably, foreign films do not require censor board clearance to be screened at any film festival in India. However, clearance from the center is required. This is the context in which the controversy began. Films like Palestine's 'Palestine 36' to 'Once Upon a Time in Gaza' and 'Battleship Potemkin', which secured a place alongside India's 'Homebound' in the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Oscars, were banned from screening by the central ministry.
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But why? No answer to that was found. IFFK organizers were upset that the ban was imposed arbitrarily, not following any specific pattern. They also protested against the center's decision. Intense controversy began after this news came to light. In this context, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had stated that films that did not receive clearance would also be screened according to schedule. Meanwhile, news came of clearance being given to many films. However, the Kerala government agreed to screen all films. After receiving this green signal, organizers have announced that the 6 films that still have not received central clearance will be screened.
