Kamal slams censor board for stifling freedom

KOZHIKODE: Film maker and Chairman of the State Kerala Chalachitra Akademi, Kamal, came down heavily on the attitude of the censor board of film certification (CBFC) in stifling the freedom of the film maker. He was speaking after inaugurating the 3rd edition of the Kozhikode International Film Festival that began on Friday at Tagore Centenary Hall. Mr Kamal also questioned the quality and qualification of the Board members who stifle the creative freedom of an artist in the name of censorship.

“The very term censorship has now turned into a symbol of intolerance. Sanal Kumar Sashidharan’s film was an example of this intolerance of censorship as the film was criticized vehemently and censored merely for its title ‘Sexy Durga’”, he added. Kamal also talked about the plan of the Chalachitra Akademi to launch talkies in the state. “The mission of the talkies will be to bring films closer to the rural areas of the State and all the nationally, internationally and regional films will be made easily available for the people to see,” he added.

After the inaugural ceremony, “Warehouse”, a Mexican film by Casey Nelson, was screened for the delegates and in the morning, the Indian and internationally recognized film “Parched” directed by Leena Yadav was also screened and witnessed a packed crowd inside Tagore Hall. “Where Are My Shoes” (Iran), “Sink” (South Africa), “Knife in the Clear Water” (China) and “Inner City” (Azerbaijan) are some of the foreign movies that will be screened in the coming days. In the contemporary film category, films like “Ashes and Diamonds” (Poland), “Motorcycle Diaries” (Argentina), “The Color of Paradise” (Iran), “Psycho” (US) and “The Great Dictator” (US) will be screened. The Indian films to be screened include, “Harikatha Prasanga” (Kannada), “Revelations” (Tamil), “Kaasav” (Marathi), “Chitrokar” (Bengali), and “Lady of the Lake” (Manipuri).