The 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam opened in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday amid uncertainty over 31 films that the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has denied censor exemption. State officials said they are pursuing legal and administrative steps to secure screening permission, even as the festival proceeds with the disputed titles left out of the published schedule for now.

Kerala Documentary Festival Opens Under Censorship Shadow as 31 Films Remain Held Up
RDU Global Correspondent
Entertainment & Culture Desk
The 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam opened in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday amid uncertainty over 31 films that the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has denied censor exemption. State officials said they are pursuing legal and administrative steps to secure screening permission, even as the festival proceeds with the disputed titles left out of the published schedule for now.
Editorial & Verification Notice
Reported by RDU Global Correspondent. Formatted and verified using real-time institutional and journalistic wire feeds. Independent reporting adhering to the RDU Global Editorial Code of Conduct.
Related Coverage
LURU Screendance Festival Shows How Film Can Preserve, Reframe Dance
The recently concluded LURU Screendance Festival placed a sharp focus on the changing relationship between dance and cinema, underscoring how the camera can do more than record movement: it can reinterpret it, preserve it, and turn performance into an archive. The festival’s conversations and screenings highlighted screendance as a growing artistic form in India, where choreography, editing, framing, and sound design increasingly shape how audiences experience movement.
Thiruvananthapuram Exhibition Maps the Rise of South Indian Modernism
A new exhibition in Thiruvananthapuram is tracing the emergence of modernism in Keralam and wider south India through more than 140 works by 30 artists. Curated by Tensing Joseph, Southern Latitudes: Scenes from Madras & Trivandrum places landmark paintings and sculptures by figures such as KCS Paniker, CL Porinchukutty and Kanayi Kunhiraman in a broader historical frame.
Raja Ravi Varma Paintings Set to Travel as Vadodara Royal Signals New Exhibition Push
Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings are expected to travel for exhibitions as the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum in Vadodara expands and prepares a state-of-the-art storage facility next year, according to royal family member Radhikaraje Gaekwad. The development points to a broader effort to make one of India’s most important art collections more accessible while strengthening long-term conservation and display infrastructure.
