18th IDSFFK ends without screening “banned” competition films
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Keralam Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan presented the Lifetime Achievement award to filmmaker Nina Sabnani during the closing ceremony of 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN
The 18th edition of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam (IDSFFK) concluded on Wednesday without screening seven films, including five in the competition section, which were denied censor exemption by the Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
Though former jury members of the IDSFFK had urged the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy to allow the jury to watch the five films selected for the competition category, the State government decided not to screen the films as the Kerala High Court had on September 28 denied permission to provisionally screen these films. Former jury members had argued that the I&B Ministry has only withheld the permission for public screenings of these films and that the ‘denial’ does not extend to any closed doors private screenings for the jury. A collective of filmmakers who were earlier planning to boycott the award ceremony decided to participate as the government said that the directors of the “banned” films will be called on stage and honoured at the closing ceremony. At the closing ceremony inaugurated by Chief Minister V.D.Satheesan, the directors of the films including Spandan Banerjee’s who directed the documentary Parliament Street, Afiya Khalid and Rizwan Rahman who made Sanitised Republic: Cast(e) & Contracts, Sankaraa who directed The Mali and the Parasite, Bipuljit Basu who made Redlight to Limelight, Sharanya Deyy who made In Search of Buddha and Prasun Goswami and Raunak Shivhare who made Shimmering Odyssey were called and seated on the stage. Mr.Satheesan said that the government will make arrangements to exhibit the films when the Court clears them. “We filed a writ petition before the High Court. Unfortunately, we haven’t received any interim order. We have repeatedly requested the Union ministry against this as it is a penetration into the curatorial freedom of artists. But, as a State government we have to deal with the sanction of the Union government. We will fight for the sanction. We are with these filmmakers. I hope one day you will get the opportunity to screen the films here,” he said. Close Up Up close -The making of political UBU, directed by Kamal K.M. won the award for the Best Long Documentary. The film also won the Kumar Talkies Award for Best Editing in a Documentary. Sugandhi Gadadhar’s My Other Diary won the award for the Second Best Documentary and Ameya Gore’s Going Solo won a Jury Special Mention. Debalina Majumder’s Friends of Jilipibala won the award for Best Short Documentary. Ashutosh Jare’s Coal Diggers of India won the award for the Second Best Short Documentary. Srishti Garg’s Lunar Birds got a Special Jury Mention. Shekhar Bapu Rankhambe’s Bhintila Paath won the award for the Best Short Fiction film. Sahadeb Das’s A Mouse and a Man won the award for the Second Best Short Fiction film award. Darwin Annakumar’s Maram Marankothi won a Special Jury Mention in the category while Naseem Azad for the Best Cinematography award for Paradise Fall and Shubhangi Bhujbal got the award for Best Acting for An Oyster Life. Muhammed Jaseel K.’s Marrah won the award for the Best Campus film and Vishnu Pushkaran’s Ozhukku won a Special Jury Mention.
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