National Thiruvananthapuram

I&B ministry says 31 Kerala festival films await further verification

Thirty-one films due to be screened at the five-day 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, beginning in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, await further verification from the home, defence and external affairs ministries because of their subject matter, a Union information and broadcasting ministry official said on Monday, clarifying clearance had not been denied. Kerala culture minister PC Vishnunadh had said no reasons were given for denying permission. The ministry sought detailed synopses for six films.

Written by AI from Hindustan Times — India · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 21 Sept 2026, 1:48 pm IST

Source

Hindustan Times — India · read the original report ↗

#idsffk#film festival#i&b ministry#kerala#censorship

Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

31 films for the Thiruvananthapuram festival await 'further verification' from the home, defence and external affairs ministries due to subject matter, and have not been denied clearance. — Attributed to an unnamed Union I&B ministry official speaking on Monday; ministry's X post cited as echoing it.
Kerala culture minister PC Vishnunadh said the I&B ministry gave no reasons for denying screening permission to 31 films at the 18th IDSFFK. — Attributed by name to the state minister; contradicts the I&B account, both positions carried in source.
A more detailed synopsis was sought for six of the 31 films. — Figure appears in source, attributed to the I&B ministry's post on X.
The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy sought certification exemption for 347 films, most of which have been cleared. — Attributed to unnamed 'people aware of the matter'; number appears in source but sourcing is anonymous.
In 2025 the Union government initially withheld exemptions for 19 films at the 17th IFFK before granting them in stages. — Stated in source as background without specific attribution.

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Analysts’ view opinion

AI Political Analyst

This is shaping up less as a censorship row and more as another arena for the ongoing Centre–Kerala friction. The I&B ministry is carefully positioning this as a procedural step — verification, not refusal — while the Kerala government frames it as an unexplained delay that pressures creative freedom. The fact that 19 films at the 17th IFFK in 2025 went through a similar pending-then-staggered-clearance cycle strengthens the state's argument that a pattern is repeating.

Cultural freedom is a potent political sentiment in Kerala, so the state government has little to lose and much to gain from publicising the standoff.
The Centre's language is equally careful — insisting clearance has not been denied lets it sidestep the censorship charge.
The ministry's pointer to lapses in documentation and its 15-day/one-month application guideline is a counter-narrative shifting responsibility to the organisers.
The subject matter of the pending films — sanitation workers during Covid-19, life in Gaza — almost guarantees the dispute is read politically rather than administratively.
That exemption was sought for 347 films and most were cleared gives the Centre a factual basis to reject claims of a blanket block.

What to watch — Whether clearances arrive before Friday's opening, or Kerala again announces screenings will proceed despite pending permissions — a move that would escalate the confrontation.

The story does not establish that any film was actually refused permission, nor that the delay is politically motivated — only that three ministries had not responded as of Monday.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 5 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

Films screened at non-commercial film festivals in India do not need a Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate, but they do need an exemption/screening permission from the Union information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry under Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Ahead of the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), beginning Friday in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala's culture minister PC Vishnunadh said permission had been denied to 31 films without reasons. An I&B official countered on Monday that clearance had not been denied, and that the 31 films were awaiting "further verification" from the home, defence and external affairs ministries because of their subject matter. A similar standoff occurred in 2025 over 19 films at the 17th IFFK.

Key facts

31 films slated for the 18th IDSFFK await "further verification" from the home, defence and external affairs ministries, an I&B ministry official said on Monday.
The I&B ministry said on X that a more detailed synopsis was sought for six of the 31 films, and some were sent to sectoral authorities for review.
The festival is a five-day international event beginning Friday in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the organiser, sought certification exemption for 347 films; most have been cleared.
The 31 films include documentaries on sanitation workers at Delhi's hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic and on life in the besieged Gaza Strip.
As of Monday morning, the I&B ministry had not received responses from the three ministries on the 31 films.
In 2025, the Union government initially withheld exemptions for 19 films at the 17th IFFK, later granting them in stages after Kerala said screenings would proceed.
Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 empowers the Union government to exempt films from certification, subject to conditions.

Timeline

2025Union government initially withheld exemptions for 19 films at the 17th IFFK; screenings were announced regardless, and exemptions were later granted in stages.
Ahead of the festivalKerala State Chalachitra Academy sought exemption from certification for 347 films; the Union government asked for detailed synopses of 31 films, which the state says were sent the next day.
Sunday (a day before the clarification)Kerala culture minister PC Vishnunadh said the I&B ministry gave no reasons for denying screening permission to 31 films.
MondayI&B official and the ministry's post on X said clearance was not denied; films are under further verification, with detailed synopses sought for six.
FridayThe five-day 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala begins in Thiruvananthapuram.

Who has a stake

Union I&B ministry — Grants exemption from certification under Section 9; says clearance not denied, cites lapses in submission of documents adding to processing time.
Home, defence and external affairs ministries — Asked to review films whose subject matter touches their domains; their pending responses hold up clearance.
Kerala State Chalachitra Academy — Organiser of IDSFFK; sought exemption for 347 films and must finalise the screening schedule.
PC Vishnunadh, Kerala culture minister — Says no reasons were given for denial and that the state received only a list of films granted permission.
Filmmakers of the 31 films — Documentaries on Covid-era sanitation workers in Delhi and Gaza risk missing festival screening.
CBFC — Films it has certified need no ministry exemption, making festival films dependent on the exemption route.

Why it matters

The dispute highlights how the exemption route under Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act can become a de facto gatekeeping mechanism for documentaries on politically sensitive subjects. With Centre-state friction repeating after the 2025 IFFK episode, it raises questions of procedural transparency, timelines and federal coordination in cultural administration.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

Films need CBFC certification for public exhibition under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 lets the Union government exempt films from certification, subject to conditions.
Festival films lacking CBFC certification require I&B ministry screening permission; CBFC-certified films need no exemption.
IDSFFK (International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala) is organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy; the 18th edition is in Thiruvananthapuram.
I&B guidelines: festival organisers should preferably apply a month in advance and at least 15 days before the event with complete documentation.
In 2025, exemptions for 19 films at the 17th IFFK were initially withheld, then granted in stages.

Mains framing

The IDSFFK episode illustrates the tension between regulatory process and creative freedom in India's film certification architecture. Because festival films bypass CBFC certification, they depend on a discretionary exemption under Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952; when subject matter is deemed sensitive — here documentaries on Covid-era sanitation workers in Delhi and on Gaza — the I&B ministry routes files to the home, defence and external affairs ministries, and the absence of their responses effectively delays screening even without formal denial. The Centre points to lapses in documentation and its guideline that applications come at least 15 days in advance, while Kerala's culture minister says reasons for denial were never communicated and only a list of approved films was received, echoing the 2025 IFFK standoff over 19 films. The way forward suggested by the facts lies in tighter compliance by organisers with the one-month/15-day documentation norms, and in time-bound, reasoned communication by the Centre on inter-ministerial referrals so that festivals — and the 347 films submitted this time — are not left in procedural limbo days before opening.

Key terms

Cinematograph Act, 1952: Law requiring certification of films for public exhibition; Section 9 allows the Union government to grant exemptions subject to conditions.
CBFC: Central Board of Film Certification; films it certifies do not need exemption from the I&B ministry for festival screening.
IDSFFK: International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala; its 18th edition is a five-day event in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala State Chalachitra Academy: State body that organises IDSFFK and applied for exemption from certification for 347 films.
Screening permission / exemption: Clearance from the I&B ministry allowing uncertified films to be shown at non-commercial film festivals.
IFFK: International Film Festival of Kerala; at its 17th edition in 2025 exemptions for 19 films were initially withheld.

Practice questions

Discuss how the exemption regime under Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 affects freedom of expression at non-commercial film festivals in India.
Examine the Centre-state frictions revealed by the clearance disputes at Kerala's film festivals in 2025 and at the 18th IDSFFK. What procedural reforms could reduce such disputes?
Should inter-ministerial review of documentary content be subject to statutory time limits? Argue with reference to the IDSFFK case.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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