IFFK 2025: CM Pinarayi Vijayan Defies Centre, Screens 19 Barred Films Amid 'Dictatorship' Row

In a direct confrontation with the Centre, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has authorized the screening of 19 films denied censor exemption by the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Addressing the controversy, Vijayan termed the censorship a 'reflection of dictatorship' and accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of attempting to 'suppress diverse voices'. The barred list includes the Soviet-era classic 'Battleship Potemkin' and several Palestinian narratives, which the state government has vowed to screen in defiance of the federal directive. The transcript also notes protests by CPI workers in Thiruvananthapuram against the Centre's intervention.