The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has denied permission for the screening of 19 films at the 2025 International Film Festival of Kerala.
Palestine-related themes and a Spanish movie called Beef are among the barred titles.
The non-availability of a special ‘exemption certificate’ from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is the reason behind the hurdle.
IFFK 2025 film ban controversy: 19 foreign films have faced screening crisis at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), in Thiruvananthapuram, following the failure to obtain a special censor 'exemption certificate.'
According to organisers, screenings of seven films scheduled over the last two days are cancelled due to the missing censor exemption certificates. Currently, 19 films have not received permission for screening, reported ANI.
IFFK, organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, under the state Department of Cultural Affairs, kicked off on December 12 and runs till December 19, 2025.
Why are films barred from IFFK?
Festival organisers submit film titles to the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry for its approval in advance. But the Ministry has denied permission to screen 19 films, which include several titles on Palestine and the Spanish film Beef.
Organisers have claimed that there is no formal explanation for the denial of censor exemption to the 19 films. The Hindu quoted an unidentified official of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy as saying, "No reasons were provided for denying permission for the screenings."
Which films are banned from IFFK
Palestine 36, Yes, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, and All That’s Left of You, which focus on Palestinian themes, are denied screening. Palestine 36 was the festival’s inaugural film and had already been screened without an exemption order.
Other titles which are banned from screening at IFFK include A Poet: Unconcealed Poetry, Bamako, Sergei Eisenstein’s 100-year-old classic Battleship Potemkin, Clash, Eagles of The Republic, Heart of The Wolf, Red Rain, Riverstone, The Hour of The Furnaces, Tunnels: Sun In The Dark, Flames, Timbuktu, Wajib, and Santosh.
This decision of the Centre over the ban on 19 films has received sharp criticism from filmmakers, festival organisers and several political leaders, including directors Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Kamal and Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian, among others.
We wish the issue is resolved at the earliest.
