IFFK 2022: Celebrating the right to dissent and cracking down on it

Kerala By K A Shaji December 16, 2022 Read the article

The 2022 IFFK film festival’s message was clear: Stand in solidarity with those using films as a means to fight injustice worldwide.

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The 27th edition of the festival marked an important milestone in world cinema. There were musical events and book readings.

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186 of the best films from across 70 countries were screened, and their makers descended on the festival venue.

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Iranian filmmaker Mahnaz Mohammadi, who could not travel to India, was the recipient of the ‘Spirit of Cinema’.

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But at another level, the festival exposed hypocrisy. Many young film lovers were left disappointed as entry passes were issued selectively.

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Some of them protested at the festival venue, but they were silenced using the might of the state police.

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While IFFK was discussing the right to dissent threadbare, the police charged 30 protestors under the Indian Penal Code for rioting.

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The Kerala Chalachitra Academy, the organisers of the event, was categorical that the protests were peaceful and there was no rioting.

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The IFFK also saw protests by students of the KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts.

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They assembled at the main venue to invite attention to the caste discrimination and other wrongdoings of the institute’s director.

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No prominent actor expressed solidarity with the protest, and the number of filmmakers who extended solidarity was meagre.

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