‘Battleship Potemkin’ grounded in Centre-state film fest fracas

Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi: The ongoing 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) plunged into a crisis following the Centre's refusal to grant censor exemption certificates to several films, including Soviet auteur Sergei Eisenstein's black and white classic, ‘Battleship Potemkin', leading to cancellations, uncertainty in scheduling and sharp political and artistic reactions. ‘Battleship Potemkin' was first released on Dec 21, 1925 and will celebrate its 100th birth anniversary this weekend. However, the Centre on Tuesday rejected allegations of selective denial saying the decision was based purely on procedural grounds. Ministry sources said 178 films were granted exemption out of 187 applications received, adding that the organisers applied for exemption on December 3, whereas guidelines require applications to be submitted at least 15 days before the start of a festival. The 30th edition of IFFK began on Dec 12 and will continue till Dec 19. According to organisers, screening permission was denied to some films as they did not have the mandatory censor exemption certificate issued by the Union ministry of information and broadcasting. As a result, seven screenings scheduled over the past two days were cancelled. Organisers warned that the situation could worsen, with up to eight more screenings facing the risk of cancellation if clearances were not received in time. The delay or denial of these exemptions triggered the current impasse, leaving organisers legally barred from proceeding with the screenings, even for internationally acclaimed works. ‘Battleship Potemkin', a 74-minute long, invariably figures in every list of "Greatest Films of All time." The film dramatised Potemkin crew's real-life mutiny against its officers in 1905 Czarist Russia. Over the decades, the film's ‘Odessa Steps' sequence is part of every cinema syllabus for both cinematographers and editors. Apart from Eisenstein's film, several other high-profile movies were initially refused permission. Three films under the Palestine package, including ‘Palestine 36', were also denied permission, raising concerns over selective clearances. ‘Palestine 36', however, was screened during the opening ceremony as the organisers said they had not received the list of restricted films at that time. Meanwhile, amid mounting pressure, the Centre on Tuesday granted clearance for four more films: ‘Beef', 'Once Upon A Time In Gaza', 'Eagles of the Republic' and ‘Heart of the Wolf. Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan said that denying films permission based on titles or perceived themes undermines artistic freedom and the very spirit of international film festivals. CPM general secretary M A Baby alleged that the Centre was deliberately attempting to sabotage the festival, accusing it of interfering in cultural spaces. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor intervened in the matter, seeking an early resolution to prevent further disruption to the festival. Meanwhile, cultural affairs minister Saji Cherian directed the State Chalachitra Academy to ensure that none of the selected films are dropped and asserted that all films would be screened as per the original schedule.