Former IDSFFK jury members urge Kerala State Chalachitra Academy to let jury watch competition films withheld by Union I&B Ministry
Former jury members of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam have urged the academy to allow them to view five films withheld by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The jury argues that private screenings do not violate the Ministry's ban on public exhibition and that withholding them harms the festival's reputation.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the ongoing friction between artistic freedom and government censorship in the Indian film industry.
Former jury members of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam (IDSFFK) have urged the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy to allow the jury to watch the five films selected for the competition category at the ongoing 18th IDSFFK, but have not yet been screened as the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has denied censor exemption.
IDSFFK Lifetime Achievement Award winner and 2024 jury chairperson Rakesh Sharma, 2024 jury members Pankaj Rishikumar and Jabeen Merchant as well as the 2025 jury chairpersons Ranajit Ray and jury members Rintu Thomas and Faiza Khan have, in a letter to the academy chairperson, expressed dismay that the IDSFFK administration has decided not to let the jury see the five films which were denied censor exemption.
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