Union I&B Ministry denies censor exemption for 31 films at IDSFFK in Kerala

A scene from the documentary Birds of War, one of the 31 films denied censor exemption by the Union I&B Ministry at IDSFFK in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has denied censor exemption for a total of 31 films to be screened at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) here.

The denial of the censor exemption is reminiscent of the way the Union ministry banned screenings at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) last year, during which 19 films were denied exemption before some got through.

Among the films that will not be screened at IDSFFK are 18 officially selected films for the festival, nine films in the International Non-Fiction section, three films in the Festival Winners section and one film from the Nepal Package. Malayalam film Globe is also among those denied permission.

Films screened at festivals do not require a censor certificate but need a censor exemption from the Union ministry to screen them. The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy submitted a list of 347 films to the ministry seeking exemption from certification requirements. The app included a synopsis outlining the theme of each film. Subsequently, at the request of the Ministry, detailed synopses and screenings of 40 films were also submitted for consideration.

A film about sanitation workers

One of the films denied an exemption is Sanitized Republic: Cast(e) and Contracts, which follows sanitation workers from Delhi’s Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College who risked their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, only to lose their jobs in June 2022. Through his struggle to secure a final job in film and an examination of the real employment relationship and dignity of caste and sanitation work in contemporary India.

Another Parliament Street documentary is about public memory, personal memories and history as it unfolded on a street of national significance.

Among banned international documentaries, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk offers an intimate first-hand look at life in Gaza, told through a series of video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and young Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona.

Memories of a Window is set around the crackdown on protests in Iran, during which civilians begin documenting the unrest from outside their windows.

Birds of War, among the banned films, draws on 13 years of personal archives spanning revolution, war and exile for a London-based Lebanese journalist and Syrian activist whose love story is used to frame the story of the conflict.

Published – 19 Sep 2026 23:24 IST