IFFK to Go Ahead With Screenings Despite Centre's Ban on 14 Films
Kerala Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian expressed his strong objection to the matter and opined that the centre's move will affect the future of the festival
By : Roshna Arafa Ali
Update: 2025-12-16 14:55 GMT
Hyderabad: The union government has denied permission for screening to a total of 14 films at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala, held from December 12-19 in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. However, the festival authorities, with the support of the state government, have decided to go ahead with the screenings despite the denial of clearance.
"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," Kerala Chalachitra Academy Chairman Resul Pookutty said in a video message.
Usually, films screened at festivals do not require censor certification, but they must obtain an exemption from the Union Ministry. The organisers said that they were awaiting official censor exemptions to screen the films, including Hindi movie Santosh, movies related to the Palestine conflict and Sergei Eisenstein's 100-year-old film Battleship Potemkin.
Among the 19 initially denied screening clearance, five movies were given permissions on Tuesday: Beef, Eagles of The Republic, Heart of The Wolf, Yes, and Once Upon A Time In Gaza.
Among this list, the ban on Beef had drawn the most criticism. “A film titled 'Beef' has also been denied permission, ostensibly because of its name, even though it has nothing to do with food choices. This absurd and lunatic attempt to derail IFFK, which is organised 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, Ex-Minister and CPI(M) general secretary.
Beef, originally titled Ruido, is a Spanish-Mexican drama directed by Ingride Santos. The movie is about Lati, a young woman from the outskirts of Barcelona who turns to freestyle rap to confront grief, prejudice, and gender barriers after her father's death.
A few among others that the festival will be screening despite the ban are Battleship Potemkin, considered one of cinema's most influential works, and the Hindi movie Santosh. The latter, directed by Sandhya Suri, was released in India via OTT in October this year, after a year-long battle over censorship and certification. The movie, which was Britain's official entry to the Oscars in 2024 and screened at the Cannes Film Festival, was denied permission for theatrical release earlier.
“This fear fascist governments have of creative freedom is not an isolated case happening in India alone. This is happening worldwide. It is not a surprising move, and I don’t think filmmakers will comply with this kind of repression,” said writer-director Jeo Baby, known for his movies Kaathal and The Great Indian Kitchen.
Abderrahmane Sissako, the director of Mauritanian movies Timbuktu and Bamako, which are also denied permission, is being honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival. The 30th edition of the IFFK 2025 was inaugurated on December 12 by State Culture Minister Saji Cherian at a function attended by dignitaries from the film world from across the globe.
Kerala Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian expressed his strong objection to the matter and opined that the centre's move will affect the future of the festival, for which thousands turn up from various parts of India and the world.