Kerala govt defies Centre, orders screening of all films at IFFK 2025
Guwahati: The Kerala government on Tuesday instructed organisers of the 2025 International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) to proceed with the event’s entire screening lineup, including 14 films that did not receive clearance from the Union government.
State Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian directed the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, which hosts the festival, to screen every film listed in the official programme. He criticised the Centre’s decision to withhold permission for certain films, describing it as an attack on Kerala’s long-standing tradition of progressive art, free expression, and democratic values.
The festival, underway in Thiruvananthapuram since December 12, will conclude on December 19 and has drawn thousands of delegates from across India and abroad.
Earlier, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had refused permission to screen 19 films, including four films related to Palestine. Following objections, the ministry later cleared five of them — Beef, Eagles of the Republic, Heart of the Wolf, Yes, and Once Upon a Time in Gaza — including two Palestine-themed titles.
However, authorities continued to block screenings of Palestine 36 and All That’s Left of You, both of which had already been shown at the festival. Palestine 36, produced in Arabic and English, opened this year’s festival as its inaugural film. Officials from the Chalachitra Academy said the Centre did not provide any explanation for denying permission.
Other films denied clearance include A Poet: Unconcealed Poetry, Bamako, Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 classic Battleship Potemkin, Clash, Red Rain, Riverstone, The Hour of the Furnaces, Flames, Timbuktu, Wajib, and Santosh.
At the festival’s opening ceremony, Minister Cherian reaffirmed Kerala’s solidarity with the Palestinian people. Palestinian Ambassador to India Abdallah M Abu Shawesh attended the event as a special guest. Cherian also paid tribute to noted filmmaker Shaji N Karun, who remained closely associated with IFFK until his death in April 2025, describing the festival as a platform that defends creative freedom and challenges authoritarianism.
Notably, Battleship Potemkin and Abderrahmane Sissako’s Bamako have featured in numerous film festivals across India. This year, IFFK honoured Sissako with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Reacting strongly, CPI(M) state secretary Marian Alexander Baby alleged that the authorities denied permission to screen Beef primarily because of its title, despite the film having no connection to dietary issues. He termed the Centre’s actions an attempt to disrupt IFFK and accused the Union government of suppressing dissent and artistic expression.
Calling on artists and filmmakers to oppose the move, Baby urged democratic voices to stand against what he described as growing authoritarian tendencies. Meanwhile, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the CPI(M)’s youth wing, staged a protest at one of the festival’s main venues to condemn the restrictions imposed on the screenings.