Ministry delay cancels Kadavallur's 'Sathyapullu' screening at Kolkata festival
Ramdas Kadavallur's documentary Sathyapullu was set for a big moment at the fifth World Film Festival in Kolkata, but its screening got canceled because the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting didn't clear it in time.
The film, which explores society and history without stirring division, missed its September 9 slot.
Kadavallur calls ministry delay an infringement
Kadavallur called the move an infringement on democratic rights, saying, "This is not a film that generates hatred or animosity. Rather, it seeks to view the world and society we inhabit in their entirety. It makes no attempt to manipulate or distort any subject matter."
Festival coordinator Premendra Mazumder explained that public screenings need ministry approval, which often comes too late these days.
Sathyapullu had already been screened at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) and won an award at the Signs film festival, and tells Rashida Nazriya's story of migration and poetry through trains.