Cinema VinesThe Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has denied censor exemption for 31 films slated to be screened at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram, a move that echoes the crackdown on the festival’s screenings last year. The decision, announced on September 19, 2026, comes after the ministry had barred 19 films from the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) before eventually clearing some of them.
Among the 31 blocked titles are 18 films that were officially selected for the IDSFFK, nine entries in the International Non‑Fiction section, three in the Festival Winners section, and one from the Nepal Package. Malayalam feature Globe is also on the list. Films shown at festivals typically do not need a full censor certificate, but they must obtain a censor exemption from the Union Ministry. The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy had submitted a catalogue of 347 films to the ministry, each accompanied by a synopsis. Following the ministry’s request, detailed synopses and screeners for 40 films were also provided for review.
One of the denied films, Sanitised Republic: Cast(e) and Contracts, documents sanitation workers at Delhi’s Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College. The documentary follows workers who risked their lives during the COVID‑19 pandemic, only to lose their jobs in June 2022, and examines the links between contractual labour, caste, and sanitation work in contemporary India. Another banned documentary, Parliament Street, explores public and personal memory against the backdrop of a historically significant street.
International entries also faced censorship. Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk offers an intimate look at life in Gaza through video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona. Memories of a Window centers on the Iranian protests, capturing civilians documenting unrest from behind windows. Birds of War, a personal archive spanning 13 years of revolutions, war, and exile, follows a London‑based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist whose love story frames the broader narrative of conflict.
The censorship crackdown at IDSFFK has raised concerns among filmmakers and festival organizers about artistic freedom and the role of the Union Ministry in regulating film content. The ministry’s repeated interventions suggest a tightening of oversight over documentary and short film festivals in India.
