Oindrilla Hazra Prathapan, deputy director (Festivals) of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, quit from her position on Wednesday, accusing the academy heads of sidelining her.
The news of her resignation comes at a time when preparations are on in full swing for the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), beginning on June 26.
Speaking to The Hindu , Ms. Prathapan said that she decided to leave as she was constantly being kept out of loop of all communications and decisions.
“I came here just before the last IFFK. Till now, I have not even got a letterhead or a visiting card. All the official files were going to the Deputy Director (programming), Jayanthi Narendranath. I was using the official mail id, adirector@iffk.in, for communicating with agents and filmmakers for the upcoming festivals. On May 3, the Secretary handed over the control of this mail id to the Programme Manager. Also, all of the others were asked to report to Jayanthi. I was left with nothing much to do. They wanted me to do academics, by organising seminars and other events,” she says.
She said that the decisions were taken at the top in an “authoritarian manner,” without offering any explanations.
“The IFFK and IDSFFK are what it is today because of Beena Paul’s efforts. I have been part of her team several years back and I know what heights she has taken it to. But without someone who understands cinema at the top, it will go downhill. I put up with this these past few months to prevent that. In that office, you cannot have a proper conversation about aesthetics or any other aspects of cinema with anyone,” says Ms. Prathapan.
‘Wont affect festivals’
But, according to academy secretary S. Rajendran Nair, some responsibilities were taken away from her as “she does not have the knowledge of handling files or ability to finish tasks in a time-bound manner.”
“The government files should be clear as to every aspect of a particular decision as it will be audited in future. She does not have an understanding of handling such files. Because she delayed the paperwork and annual payments to the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAFP), we almost lost their accreditation. IFFK is only one of the two Indian festivals to have that accreditation. The e-mail id had to be handed over to the Programme Manager as Oindrilla was carrying on communications without consulting us. Her resignation will not affect IDSFFK or IFFK,” says Mr. Rajendran.
Oindrilla Hazra Prathapan accuses the academy heads of sidelining her
