Thiruvananthapuram: Cultural affairs minister P C Vishnunadh said it was unfortunate that eight films selected for the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) were yet to get permission for screening. Govt has registered its protest over the delay and is continuing efforts to secure clearance for the films, the minister told a news conference held as part of the festival.Of nearly 1,800 films submitted for the festival, 347 were selected and forwarded for exemption from certification requirements. Clearance was initially withheld for 31 films. Following govt’s intervention with the Union information and broadcasting ministry and legal proceedings, 24 of the films subsequently received permission, the minister said.However, clearance for eight films is still pending. During the hearing of the matter in the high court on Monday, the additional solicitor general appearing for the Centre did not take a favourable position, the minister said. Govt had hoped for an interim order allowing the films to be screened, but no such directive was issued. An appeal seeking permission at least for the jury to view the films was also not accepted by the court, he said.“It is extremely unfortunate that permission has not been granted to screen these films,” Vishnunadh said, adding that the Union ministry had neither cleared nor formally rejected the films. Efforts to obtain permission were continuing. If clearance is granted on Tuesday, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy is prepared to screen the films before the festival concludes, he said.The minister noted that this was not the first instance of films being denied screening permission. Seven films at the previous International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) had also failed to receive clearance.Festival of Keralam plannedGovt will organise a festival of Keralam by bringing together various cultural institutions to showcase the state’s art, culture and history to audiences across India and abroad, Vishnunadh said. The initial preparations for the festival would be completed around Keralam Piravi, he said. Events would be organised in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru, besides selected foreign countries.Vishnunadh said govt intended to coordinate the activities of all academies and institutions under the cultural affairs department and ensure that they worked in greater synergy. “The aim is not to create institutions for individuals, but to fulfil the objectives for which these institutions were originally established,” he said.
