Central Government denied permission for Muhammad: Bina Paul

“We couldn’t screen the film ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’ by Majid Majidi in the IFFK because the Central Government did not give us permission to screen it”, said Bina Paul, artistic director, IFFK.

The film which screened in various international film festivals including the Kolkata International Film Festival couldn’t be screened in Kerala due to censorship issues. The film festival coordinators were in a legal bind. “The Central Government, on the film’s screening have not said a ‘No’, but not a ‘Yes’ either. It seems like a game the Centre is playing with the state, because a ‘No’, will definitely trigger a protest from Kerala”, clarified Bina Paul who is also the Vice Chairperson of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. She was talking in the Open Forum segment on ‘Art as a Resistance: Lessons from IFFK’.

 “The primary viewpoint of IFFK is inclusion, not exclusion. All the films screened in the fest put forward the same perspective. Especially, films like ‘Roma’ and ‘Pope Francis: A Man of His Word’ are of great importance, not only because of their cinematic value but also because of what they are talking about. These films talk about the greatest threats we are facing”, added she.

The message of this year’s fest is ‘Together, Art and Culture Rebuild’. “IFFK in the past has ignited protests, paving ideal platforms for discussions and debates in socio-cultural issues like women in public space and cinema, and playing national anthem compulsorily in theatres. The fest this year has been an initiative to rebuild Kerala, after the calamities that hit the state, to resist the challenges and grow together”, said Kamal, Chairman, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. He also expressed his gratitude to all the delegates, who were integral in making the fest a huge success.

Mahesh Panju, K P Kumaran, V K Joseph, Sibi Malayil, C S Venkiteswaran, G P Ramachandran, and Madhu Janardhanan participated in the session.