Former IDSFFK Jury Members Urge Kerala State Academy Chalachitra to Allow Jury to Watch Competition Films Withheld by Union I&B Ministry

Former jury members of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) have appealed to the Kerala State Academy, Chalachitra, to allow the jury to watch five films selected for the competition category at the ongoing 18th edition of the IDSFFK, but have not been screened so far as the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) denied the exemption from censorship.

IDSFFK Lifetime Achievement Award winner and 2024 Jury President Rakesh Sharma, 2024 Jury Members Pankaj Rishikumar and Jabeen Merchant, as well as 2025 Jury President Ranajit Ray and Jury Members Rintu Thomas and Faiza Khan, in a letter addressed to the five IDSFFK Jury Presidents, expressed that they did not recognize that the IDSFFK Jury failed to mention. films that have been denied exemption by the censors.

“We urge you to immediately send the five ‘withheld’ films to the respective competition juries. Especially since the Ministry of I&B has only denied permission for any public screening of these films. This ‘denial’ does not and should not apply to any private screening behind closed doors. There is no legal bar or prohibition or recommendation by the Ministry to prevent the jury from screening in private,” he said letter.

The letter goes on to say that several filmmakers whose films are in competition plan to boycott the awards ceremony at the festival’s closing event on Wednesday night. “This will further damage the already tarnished image of IDSFFK and its hard-built reputation,” the letter said.

Published – 29 Sep 2026 20:28 IST