Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 23 Efforts are under way to secure screening permission for all films selected for the 18th IDSFFK, Keralam Cinema Minister P C Vishnunath said on Wednesday.
Vishnunath said around 1,800 films were submitted for the festival, of which 347 were selected after a detailed selection process and sent for screening permission.
“The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has informed us that some of the films for which permission is yet to be received need to be viewed once again. Efforts are under way to complete those procedures and screen all the films,” he said.
The minister was speaking after inaugurating the distribution of delegate kits for the festival, which will be held in Thiruvananthapuram from September 25 to 30.
He handed over delegate kits to actors Shyam Mohan and Parvathy R Krishna and also inaugurated the festival office at Kairali Theatre here.
Earlier, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had denied censor exemption for 31 films scheduled to be screened at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK).
The development is reminiscent of the restrictions during the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) last year, when 19 films were denied exemption initially before permission was granted for some of them.
Shyam Mohan said the IFFK had played a crucial role in helping people understand world cinema and develop a passion for films.
He also said the entry of more young people was helping raise the quality of cinema.
The IDSFFK, organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, will be held at Kairali, Sree and Nila theatres.
Delegates can register online, while offline registration is also available at the delegate cell at Kairali Theatre. The delegate fee, including GST, is Rs 590 for the general category and Rs 354 for students.
(PTI News)
