Kerala film festival: 31 films await Centre's screening clearance
Thirty-one films listed for the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), opening in Thiruvananthapuram on September 25, are yet to get clearance from the information and broadcasting ministry. The festival's Instagram account said permission was denied. The ministry said on X that no film was denied, six were asked for detailed synopses and some were sent to sectoral authorities. An official said films also went to the home, defence and external affairs ministries. The festival runs to September 30.
Source
Hindustan Times — India · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- 31 films set for screening at IDSFFK are yet to receive I&B ministry clearance three days before the September 25 start. — Figure appears in source; attributed to reporting and to an Academy official.
- The festival's Instagram account said the ministry denied permission to the 31 films. — Attributed to the festival's Instagram account; contradicted by the ministry's own statement in the same source.
- I&B said on X that no film was denied permission, six films were asked for detailed synopses and some were sent to sectoral authorities. — Directly quoted from the ministry's X post in the source.
- Films were referred to the home, defence and external affairs ministries, with no responses received as of Monday morning. — Attributed to an unnamed I&B official speaking to Hindustan Times.
- The Academy sought certification exemption for 347 films, most already cleared; 19 of the 31 are international and 12 Indian. — Figures attributed to the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and an Academy official.
Analysts’ view opinion
This is a fresh episode in the familiar censorship-versus-procedure argument, and the immediate casualty is the festival's schedule and its audience's plans. With exemptions sought for 347 films and most already cleared, leaving 31 in limbo three days out is a logistical nightmare for organisers. The festival's Instagram called it a denial; the I&B ministry said on X that nothing was denied, only that six films need fuller synopses and some went to sectoral authorities — that clash of narratives is now the story itself.
- Nineteen of the 31 are international entries, so Indian documentary platforms' reliability is quietly on trial in the eyes of visiting filmmakers.
- The pending titles deal with politics, caste, labour, conflict and displacement, and the referral to home, defence and external affairs suggests subject matter drove the process.
- For documentaries and shorts there is no box office to fall back on — festival slots are the market, and a lost screening also means lost audiences, press and onward invitations.
- The December 2025 IFFK episode, where 19 films were initially held up and later cleared in stages, suggests staged clearances are possible, though last-minute approvals still damage publicity and scheduling.
- Ministry guidelines ask for applications a month ahead and at least 15 days before the event, so without clarity on submission timelines this cannot be read purely as a free-expression dispute.
What to watch — Watch whether the three ministries respond and the I&B reconsiders before September 25, or whether the Academy proceeds with screenings as Kerala authorities did during the IFFK row.
The story does not establish that any film was actually refused permission, nor does it specify when applications were filed or what precise objections, if any, exist.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 5 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
The International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, is scheduled to run in Thiruvananthapuram from September 25 to 30. Films shown publicly in India generally need certification under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, but Section 9 lets the Centre exempt films from certification, and I&B ministry guidelines allow such exemptions for non-commercial film festivals. Three days before the 18th edition opened, 31 of the 347 films for which the Academy sought exemption were still awaiting clearance from the information and broadcasting ministry.
Key facts
- 31 films listed for IDSFFK were yet to receive screening clearance from the I&B ministry three days before the festival's September 25 opening.
- The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy sought exemption from certification for 347 films in all; most had already been cleared.
- The festival's Instagram account said the ministry had denied permission to the 31 films; I&B said on X that permission had not been denied to any film.
- I&B said six films were asked to provide a more detailed synopsis and some others were sent to sectoral authorities for review.
- An I&B official told HT on Monday that films were referred to the ministries of home affairs, defence and external affairs; no responses had been received as of Monday morning.
- Of the 31 films, 19 are international - from Libya, Spain, Iran, Canada, France, Australia, Argentina, Philippines, Romania, Czech Republic and Nepal - and 12 are Indian, including the Malayalam film 'Globe'.
- Pending films include Parliament Street, Sanitised Republic: Cast(e) and Contracts, Globe, Memories of a Window, Birds of War, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, Our Land, The Match, Cover Up, 58th, Shot Reverse Shot and One in a Million.
- At IFFK in December 2025 the Centre initially withheld exemptions for 19 films, later granting them in stages while Kerala authorities said screenings would proceed.
Timeline
- 2022Sanitation workers at Delhi hospitals featured in 'Sanitised Republic: Cast(e) and Contracts' lost their jobs after working through the Covid-19 pandemic.
- December 2025At the International Film Festival of Kerala, the Centre initially withheld exemptions for 19 films, later granting them in stages.
- Monday (three days before festival)An I&B official told HT that films had been referred to home, defence and external affairs ministries, with no replies received yet.
- September 25IDSFFK opens in Thiruvananthapuram with 31 films still awaiting clearance.
- September 25-30The 18th IDSFFK is scheduled to run in Thiruvananthapuram.
Who has a stake
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting — Grants exemption from certification for festival screenings under Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act and must decide on the pending films.
- Kerala State Chalachitra Academy — Organiser of IDSFFK; sought exemption for 347 films and has written to I&B seeking reconsideration of the decision on the 31.
- Filmmakers of the 31 films — Films on politics, caste, labour, conflict and displacement risk not being screened at the festival.
- Home, defence and external affairs ministries — Asked to verify films whose subject matter touches their sectors; their pending responses hold up clearance.
- Festival audiences and Kerala government — Programme certainty for a six-day international festival, and a recurring centre-state friction over screening clearances.
Why it matters
The dispute shows how a procedural exemption power under a 1952 law can decide whether documentaries on caste, labour, protest and war reach audiences at a state-run festival. With the same pattern seen at IFFK in December 2025, it raises questions about timelines, transparency and the role of non-media ministries in vetting film content. It also puts a centre-state edge on cultural programming in Kerala.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Cinematograph Act, 1952: films generally require certification for public exhibition in India.
- Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act empowers the Centre to exempt films from certification, subject to conditions.
- Films holding a Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate do not need ministry exemption.
- I&B guidelines: festival organisers should apply preferably a month in advance and at least 15 days before the event with complete documentation.
- IDSFFK is organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy; the 18th edition ran September 25-30 in Thiruvananthapuram.
- 'Globe' is the only Malayalam film among the 31 titles awaiting clearance.
Mains framing
The IDSFFK clearance row illustrates the tension between statutory censorship architecture and the space festivals occupy as non-commercial, curated exhibition. Under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, public exhibition requires certification, but Section 9 allows the Centre to exempt films, and I&B guidelines extend this to non-commercial festivals — making exemption an administrative discretion exercised close to festival dates. Here 31 of 347 films remained pending three days before opening: I&B said no film was denied, six were asked for fuller synopses and others were referred to sectoral authorities, while an official confirmed references to the home, defence and external affairs ministries whose replies had not arrived. Since the pending titles deal with caste and contractual sanitation labour, protests in Iran, war in Gaza, exile in West Asia and indigenous land conflict in Argentina, the referral practice invites scrutiny of whether subject sensitivity, rather than statutory criteria, drives delay. The December 2025 IFFK episode, where 19 films were initially withheld and later cleared in stages, suggests a pattern. A way forward lies in predictable, time-bound decisions, reasons recorded in writing, clarity on when inter-ministerial referral is warranted, and the Academy's route of seeking reconsideration and early, complete documentation.
Key terms
- IDSFFK
- International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, held in Thiruvananthapuram; 18th edition scheduled September 25-30.
- Kerala State Chalachitra Academy
- State body that organises IDSFFK and IFFK and applied for certification exemption for 347 films.
- Section 9, Cinematograph Act, 1952
- Provision empowering the Central government to exempt films from certification, subject to conditions.
- CBFC
- Central Board of Film Certification; films holding its certificate need no exemption from the I&B ministry.
- Sectoral authorities
- Other government arms - here home, defence and external affairs ministries - asked to review films based on subject matter.
- IFFK
- International Film Festival of Kerala, where in December 2025 exemptions for 19 films were initially withheld before being granted in stages.
Practice questions
- Examine the scope and limits of the Central government's power to exempt films from certification under Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, in the context of film festivals.
- Does inter-ministerial referral of festival films for 'verification' strengthen or weaken regulatory transparency? Discuss with reference to the IDSFFK and IFFK episodes.
- Discuss how documentary cinema on caste, labour and conflict tests the balance between freedom of expression and state regulation of public exhibition in India.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.