Censor approval pending, IFFK puts 19 films, including Palestine-themed titles, on hold

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Organisers of the IFFK 2025 are awaiting official censor exemptions to screen around 19 films, including those related to the Palestine conflict, Sergei Eisenstein's 100-year-old classic Battleship Potemkin, and another film titled Beef, whose content has nothing to do with its title, sources said here on Monday.

They said discussions are on with the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to obtain permission to screen these films at the 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), being held from December 12 to 19.

"Battleship Potemkin, scheduled to be screened at Sree Theatre on December 15 at 6.30 pm, has been cancelled. A revised schedule will be announced soon," an IFFK message said.

Sources said Battleship Potemkin is one of cinema's most influential works, dramatising the 1905 mutiny aboard the battleship Potemkin, where sailors rebelled against brutal officers and maggot-infested food, turning their struggle into a symbol of collective resistance.

The film is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever made. Marking its 100th year, it was included in the Restored Classics section of the festival. In the most recent Sight and Sound critics' poll in 2022, it was ranked the 54th greatest film of all time, sources said.

They added that the screening of "All That's Left of You" was also cancelled. The film opens in 1988 during the height of the First Intifada, when Noor, a young Palestinian boy, joins a protest in the occupied West Bank.

His act of defiance ends in tragedy when he is killed. This moment forms the emotional core of the narrative, which is later recounted in 2021 by his mother Hanan (played by actor-director Cherien Dabis).

Speaking directly to the camera in an intimate close-up, Hanan recounts the family's history across three generations, weaving personal grief with the broader Palestinian experience.

The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2025, and was selected as Jordan's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.

Another film awaiting approval is Beef, which follows Lati, a young woman from the outskirts of Barcelona who turns to freestyle rap to confront grief, prejudice, and gender barriers after her father's death, sources said.

They added that requests for censor board exemptions for the films were submitted to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting earlier, and discussions are being held at the highest level to secure approval.

The 30th edition of the IFFK 2025 was inaugurated on December 12 by State Culture Minister Saji Cherian at a function attended by dignitaries from the film world from across the globe.