ITFoK performances cancelled after Israeli troupe denied Indian visas.
Play focused on Palestinian narratives and cultural erasure.
Director Einat Weizman calls visa refusal political censorship.
A visa denial has triggered controversy at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK), after a Palestinian-supporting Israeli theatre troupe was unable to travel to India, forcing the cancellation of two scheduled performances. The decision, confirmed by festival organisers, has raised concerns around freedom of expression and cultural diplomacy, according to a report by Maktoob Media.
The troupe was invited to stage "The Last Play in Gaza," a production that reflects the current state of Palestinian theatre. The play is a continuation and reworking of The Emigrants, the final performance staged at Gaza’s Theatre for Everybody before the space was destroyed in Israeli bombing.
Why were the ITFoK performances cancelled
Directed by Israeli documentary theatre director and film actor Einat Weizman, The Last Play in Gaza foregrounds Palestinian political narratives and documents cultural erasure during wartime. Weizman’s work has previously faced resistance in Israel due to its critical engagement with state violence and occupation.
According to Weizman, visa applications were submitted nearly two months in advance. Indian authorities later requested a detailed synopsis of the play, which was provided. Despite this, the visas were denied at the embassy level.
In a Facebook post, Weizman described prolonged uncertainty followed by last-minute obstruction. She said the troupe even received what was termed an “approval in principle” during an appeal process, but no visas were eventually issued. She also shared a video of the empty stage in Kerala, meant for their performance, underscoring the absence left by the cancelled show.
Indian Embassy visa denial and censorship concerns
Rejecting the idea of a bureaucratic lapse, Weizman described the denial as political censorship. She argued that the refusal mirrored the very erasure the play seeks to document. “This is not bureaucracy. This is an erasure mechanism,” she wrote, adding that the play has never been allowed to be performed in Israel-Palestine and now, not in India either.
Festival organisers confirmed that political clearance had been secured after approaching the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, but the visa issue remained unresolved at the Indian Embassy in Israel.
ITFoK responds with solidarity event
In place of the cancelled performances, ITFoK organised an evening of solidarity for The Last Play in Gaza. Ticket holders were informed that refunds would be issued if the troupe could not arrive before the festival’s conclusion.
Acknowledging the gesture, Weizman noted that absence itself had become a form of performance. “The play did not reach India. But the story did,” she wrote. The incident has since fuelled debate around Indian visa denial to Israeli artists and the limits of artistic freedom within international cultural festivals.
