Union I&B clears 23 of the 31 films at IDSFFK which were earlier denied censor exemption

The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday (September 26, 2026) granted permission for the screening of 23 films out of the 31 that had been selected for the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam (IDSFFK) but were initially denied clearance.

The Kerala High Court had issued a notice to the Ministry following legal action initiated by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, which demanded screening permission for all 31 films. The Court is scheduled to hear arguments regarding the case on Saturday (September 26, 2026).

According to Academy sources, out of the remaining eight films to be cleared, five are in the competition section in various categories including long documentary and short fiction. Films that have received clearance will begin screening from the third day of the festival. The revised screening schedule will be made available on the IDSFFK website. Delegates will also receive notifications regarding this via SMS.

Permission has been granted for the screening of films including Globe, Bhintila Paath, and *A Handshake* (Short Film Competition section); Mother Tongue, Unstrung, and Chapter Two (Focus section); Birds of War, Inside, Melatonin, Raha, Memories of a Window, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, My Father and Gaddafi, Silenced, Landmarks, The Match, Cover-up, Fifty-Eighth, and Shot Reverse Shot (International section); and Guided Tour, Rehearsals for a Revolution, One in a Million, and the Nepali film Band-Aids (Festival Winners section). One of the films granted permission had been submitted as part of the waiting list. It is not being screened as part of the festival’s official programme.

One of the films which is remaining to be clared is Sanitised Republic: Cast(e) and Contracts, which follows sanitation workers at Delhi’s Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College who risked their lives working through the COVID-19 pandemic, only to lose their jobs in June 2022. Through their struggle for secure employment and dignity, the film examines the realities of contractual labour and the enduring relationship between caste and sanitation work in contemporary India.

Another documentary Parliament Street is about public memory, personal memories and history as it unfolded on a street of national importance.