Kerala High Court declines permission to provisionally screen 7 films at IDSFFK

The Kerala High Court has denied permission to provisionally screen seven films at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam (IDSFFK).

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas noted that of the 346 movies under consideration, 339 documentaries were already permitted for screening at the Film Festival. The Additional Solicitor General of India, P. Sreekumar, informed the court that of the remaining seven films, six were referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs for its input on their contents, and similarly, one was referred to the Ministry of External Affairs. The Centre clarified that there was no delay or arbitrariness on its part in reviewing the applications for the grant of exemption. 

In this context, the court stated that there was no unreasonableness in withholding the seven films under review. 

The court was considering a petition by Kerala State Chalachithra Academy aggrieved by the Central government’s inaction on granting censorship certificates to certain short films at the festival, which began on September 25 and would conclude on September 30. 

The petitioner had stated that the Centre was empowered to grant exemption from the certification requirements under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The Academy sought the exemption for 347 documentaries, out of which 291 were initially granted. Among the remaining 56 films, 31 documentaries were already finalised by the Academy to be screened, and they filed a representation seeking reconsideration and grant of exemption. The Academy alleged that despite the imminent commencement of the festival on September 25, and despite furnishing the additional screeners and materials sought by the Ministry, no clear decision had been made.