JNU, Vemula, Kashmir: 3 topics the Centre doesn't want at film fests

From nearly 200 films sent for approval to the I&B ministry, three films were denied permission Interestingly all three films dealt with topics that put the Centre on the defensive The makers of these films were not given any explanation why the ministry chose to deny permission Eminent filmmakers and leaders termed the moves as "cultural fascism" and "cultural emergency"

The Centre's decision to deny permission to three short films, which were set to be screened at the upcoming International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram, created a widespread outage, with eminent filmmakers and political leaders terming the moves as "cultural fascism" and "cultural emergency". 

Three short films, including The Unbearable Being of Lightness - a documentary on Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, have been denied permission in the festival, starting in the capital from June 16. Besides the documentary on Vemula, In the Shade of Fallen Chinar, which deals with the lives of a group of young Kashmiri artists, and March March March which portrays the JNU protests from last year were also denied permission by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to be screened at the festival. 

The Unbearable Being of Lightness from Ram PN on Vimeo.

From nearly 200 films sent for approval to the I&B ministry, only these three films were denied permission. Interestingly all three films dealt with topics that put the Centre on the defensive. Also, the makers of these films were not given any explanation why the ministry chose to deny permission to their works.

The Unbearable Being of Lightness, directed by Ramchandra PN, is a 45-minute documentary that narrates incidents related to the suicide of Hyderabad Central University research scholar Rohith Vemula and the countrywide protests that followed.

In The Shade of Fallen Chinar, co-directed by Keralites Shawn Sebastian and Fazil NC, revolves around a group of young artists who are also students of Kashmir University and how an art takes the form of resistance in the strife-torn state.

March March March, helmed by Alappuzha native Kathu Lukose, focuses on the agitations after JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar and two others were arrested and charged with sedition after the students held a protest on campus against the capital punishment meted out to the 2001 Indian Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, and Kashmiri separatist Maqbool Bhat.

Director Kamal, who is also the Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, had slammed the move to ban the films by labelling it as a state of "cultural emergency".