Top Tweets for #StandwithIFFK

10 months ago

#StandWithIFFK #FreedomOfExpression #StandWithCinema

10 months ago

In unprecedented times we have to take unprecedented decisions! Long Live Cinema!@iffklive #StandWithIFFK #StandWithCinema #FreedomOfExpression

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resul pookutty @resulp

10 months ago

In unprecedented times we have to take unprecedented decisions! Long Live Cinema!@iffklive #StandWithIFFK #StandWithCinema #FreedomOfExpression

Shashi Tharoor

@ShashiTharoor

10 months ago

The unprecedented crisis facing 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), because of the denial of the mandatory "Censor Exemption" to 19 selected films, has forced the cancellation of screenings and sparked widespread criticism regarding the consistency and logic of film censorship in India. The denied list included a mix of contemporary political cinema, historical masterpieces, and retrospective works: * Palestinian Cinema: A significant cluster of films, including All That’s Left of You, Palestine 36, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, Wajib, and Eagles of the Republic. * Historical Classics: The 100-year-old Soviet silent classic "Battleship Potemkin" (1925) by Sergei Eisenstein. * Retrospectives: Works by Lifetime Achievement Award winner Abderrahmane Sissako, including Timbuktu and Bamako. * Others: The Hour of the Furnaces (Argentine classic), Red Rain, and the Spanish film “Beef” (whose title alone seems to have scared the bureaucrats). Several of these "banned" films have been screened (and even awarded) at major Indian festivals in the past, highlighting a glaring inconsistency in the current decision-making process. * "Wajib" (2017): This film is not new to India. In fact, it won the Golden Crow Pheasant (Suvarna Chakoram), at the 22nd IFFK in 2017. Its denial in 2025, at the very same festival where it was once celebrated, suggests arbitrary & inconsistent decision-making. * "Timbuktu" (2014): This acclaimed film was screened in the International Competition section at IFFI Goa (2014), a festival directly organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It was cleared by the government then but is denied clearance now, despite its cinematic quality and anti-terrorist message. * "Battleship Potemkin" (1925): As a 100-year-old classic, this film is a staple in Indian film institutes (like FTII) and has been screened countless times at film societies and festivals across India for decades. Its sudden blocking suggests cinematic illiteracy. While clearance is a legal requirement, international film festivals are granted a special "Censor Exemption" by the Ministry of I&B to screen foreign films uncut and without certification. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is consulted to ensure films do not damage diplomatic relations or threaten state security. Diplomatic sensitivities over the "Palestine" factor may have led to the blocking of Wajib, Palestine 36, and others. But our relations with Israel are hardly likely to be damaged by a film screening! The rejection of "Battleship Potemkin", “Beef” and the anti-colonial “The Hour of the Furnaces” can classified as “lack of application of mind” by those entrusted with applying the rules. In short, the denials defy logic, are disheartening to all who seek to promote India on the world stage, and diminish our cultural standing both abroad and at home. I have personally taken this up with the Ministers for Information & Broadcasting and External Affairs, urging them to reconsider these exclusions. We must ensure that red tape and censorship do not stifle the spirit of one of India’s finest celebrations of cinema. @AshwiniVaishnaw @DrSJaishankar @PMOIndia

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resul pookutty @resulp

10 months ago

Four more films cleared out of 19.Long Live Cinema! #StandwithIFFK #StandWithCinema @iffklive

resul pookutty @resulp

10 months ago

To the over-cautious bureaucratic nut cases… For what?! This is cinema! The air in Delhi is unbreathable! Show caution where it’s needed. #standwithIFFK #standwithcinema @iffklive

Shashi Tharoor

@ShashiTharoor

10 months ago

It is most unfortunate that an unseemly controversy has arisen over the central government's denial of clearance to 19 films which were scheduled to be screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram. The original list was much longer, but several clearances were obtained after my intervention with Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw at the request of @resulp, the chairman of the festival. The rest are awaiting clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs. https://t.co/v6tP1x2AMj The list of 19 films suggests an extraordinary degree of cinematic illiteracy on the part of the bureaucracy. To deny clearance to a classic like “Battleship Potemkin”, a 1928 film on the Russian Revolution which has been viewed by literally hundreds of millions around the world (and in India) over the last century, is laughable. Denying permission to some Palestinian films reflects bureaucratic over-cautiousness rather than the cultural breadth of vision that should be involved when it comes to world cinema. I have urged both I&B Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw and EAM @DrSJaishankar to grant expeditious clearance and avoid any further embarrassment in the eyes of the cinema lovers of Kerala, and of the world. https://t.co/cdfPXlrvBa

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