Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Chalachitra Academy has decided not to screen six films at the IFFK after the Ministry of External Affairs raised strong objections. The ministry even warned of legal action, saying the films went against the country's foreign policy and could affect national security, PTI reported.
In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, the academy's chairman and Oscar winner Resul Pookutty said the decision was made by the academy alone, without any political input.
He added that the state government had earlier asked the academy to screen all 19 films for which permission had been refused by the union government. The alleged delay in granting censor exemptions to over a dozen films at the ongoing International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) event had sparked widespread public outrage.
"They (the Centre) told us that they had given permission for 180 films out of the 186 films on the list. So, we did not want to create further tension or give the impression that the entire people of Kerala are people of defiance," he said.
Pookutty added that the Chief Secretary of Kerala has also sent him an email instructing strict compliance with the orders of the MEA.
Deccan Herald reported that the films that were denied screening permission include “All that’s left of you” -- Arabic film based on a Palestinian family during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, “Clash” -- Arabic film related to the Egypt protest, “Eagles of the republic” -- Egyptian Arabic-language political thriller on an Egyptian actor being forced to do a propaganda film, “Flames” -- Indian film on a mute migrant farmworker's harrowing journey for survival after his minor son is accused of a murder, “Yes” -- an Israeli film related to the 2023 attacks on Israel from Gaza and “A poet: Unconcealed” -- Indonesian film related to the 1965 Indonesian anti-communist purges.