Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the government is committed to providing platforms for voices of dissent that question popular narratives. He added that events such as the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) were dedicated to those filmmakers “whose voices were stifled, but will never remain unheard”.
Inaugurating the tenth edition of the IDSFFK at the Kairali theatre complex here on Friday, Mr. Vijayan lamented the decision of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to deny censor exemption to three documentary films that dealt with relevant issues. “Despite the fact that the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy was willing to screen the films, the permission for the same was denied. This is not the end of the road for the filmmakers. They can reach a far wider audience with the help of technology,” he said.
Pointing out that documentaries and short films had gradually come to be known as the preferred medium to express real-life situations, Mr. Vijayan exhorted filmmakers to uphold their duty to pose questions regarding the stark realities of society. Films must continue to play a progressive role in the transformation of human society, Mr. Vijayan said.
Delivering the presidential address, Minister for Cultural Affairs A.K. Balan said that the country was witnessing an increase in fascist tendencies and that an undeclared ‘emergency’ existed with the government dictating what to consume and watch. “The Central government, through its various policies, has sought to curtail the freedom of expression. Unhealthy interventions were being made to impede the liberty of filmmakers. It was wrong to portray filmmaking as an anti-national activity,” he said.
‘Provide fellowships’
Former president of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) Kiran Karnik, who was the guest of honour at the function, urged the government to provide fellowships of ₹10 lakh each to 100 documentary filmmakers every year in a bid to encourage them. In order to ensure adequate distribution for documentaries, the government should take the lead in facilitating the screening of least one show in cinemas every week. He said that the purpose of art, culture, and literature was being suppressed in the country and that this was a troubling phenomenon.
Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal, vice chairperson Bina Paul, Kerala State Film Development Corporation chairman Lenin Rajendran, Culture Secretary Rani George, Kerala Cultural Activists’ Welfare Fund Board chairman P. Sreekumar, fiction jury chairperson Ritu Sarin, non-fiction jury chairman Andrew Vial, and filmmakers Mai Masri and Vipin Vijay were present on the occasion.
