IFFK row: Dr Biju slams ‘dummy’ appointments in Academy; says 2 banned films found screening in Kolkata

Thiruvananthapuram: Filmmaker Dr Biju has criticised the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy and the state government over the crisis at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) following the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s decision to deny screening permission to 19 films.

In a social media post questioning the reasons for the Centre’s refusal, Dr Biju pointed out that films are not normally scheduled for screening without prior clearance from the Union government.

“The Film Academy should submit the list of films requiring permission to the central government at least a month in advance. The first thing that needs to be examined is whether there was any delay on the part of the Centre in granting permission despite the list being submitted in advance. If permission was delayed even after early submission, that would not be proper on the part of the central government,” he said.

Dr Biju added that such matters should be handled by the festival’s artistic director and the Academy chairman. “Sadly, for the first time in the 30-year history of the Kerala film festival, it is being held without a Film Academy chairman and an artistic director,” he said.

He also criticised the appointment of what he described as a “dummy” figure to the post of Academy chairman, saying it reflected how seriously the government viewed the institution and its role in organising IFFK.

Banned films screened at Kolkata festival

In a later post, the filmmaker said that two of the banned films were screened at this year’s Kolkata International Film Festival, held from November 6 to 13.

Dr Biju pointed out that the Palestinian film Palestine 36 was screened three times at the Kolkata festival under the category Beyond Borders: Displacement and Migration. “The Sri Lankan film ‘Riverstone’ was similarly screened in the competition section and went on to win the award for Best Director. In addition to ‘Palestine 36’, another Palestinian film, ‘Passing Dreams’, was also screened at the festival,” he added.