'The Kashmir Files' vulgar, propaganda movie: IFFI jury head Nadav Lapid at closing ceremony

The Kashmir Files, directed by Vivek Agnihhotri.

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid surprised audiences during his speech at the closing ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa by criticising the festival for including controversial Hindi-language movie The Kashmir Files in competition.

Lapid, the jury head of the 53rd IFFI, on Monday, described the Vivek Agnihotri-directed film  as "propaganda" and "vulgar".

#Breaking: #IFFI Jury says they were “disturbed and shocked” to see #NationalFilmAward winning #KashmirFiles, “a propoganda, vulgar movie” in the competition section of a prestigious festival— organised by the Govt of India.
Over to @vivekagnihotri sir…
@nadavlapi pic.twitter.com/ove4xO8Ftr

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— Navdeep Yadav (@navdeepyadav321) November 28, 2022

While praising the quality of 14 of the 15 films in the best international film competition, Lapid said on behalf of the jury: “We were all of us disturbed and shocked by the 15th film, The Kashmir Files, that felt to us like a propaganda, vulgar movie inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival.”

"I feel comfortable to openly share this feeling with you since the spirit of the festival can truly accept critical discussion which is essential for art and life," Lapid further said.

The Kashmir Files, which was released in theatres on March 11, was part of the Indian Panorama Section at IFFI and was screened on November 22.

Starring Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi among others, and produced by Zee Studios, the film depicts the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, or Kashmiri Pandits, from the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley following the rising violence, insurgency and the killings of people from the community by Pakistan-backed terrorists.

Released in India in March this year, the film reportedly stirred up anti-Muslim sentiments, with audiences erupting in hate speeches and calling for the slaughter of Muslims and a boycott of Muslim businesses after seeing the film.

Lapid’s speech was made in front of several Indian government ministers, including Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, as the festival is a government-organised event, funded by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

The Singapore government banned The Kashmir Files in May due to its “potential to cause enmity between different communities”.

Lapid’s 2019 Synonyms won the Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival and his credits also include The Kindergarten Teacher, which premiered in the Critics Week section of the Cannes Film Festival in 2014; Policeman (2011) and Ahed's Knee (2021), the latter  . His films are personal political narratives and he has had a love-hate relationship with his own homeland. He also served as a member of the jury of the Critics Week section at the 2016 edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

Lapid's speech goes to show the integrity of an artistic world in the face of political pushback.

His fellow jurors at IFFI Goa included US producer Jinko Gotoh, French editor Pascale Chavance, Spanish filmmaker and critic Javier Angulo and Indian filmmaker Sudipto Sen.

Kher attended the special screening of the film at the 53rd IFFI on November 22. The nine-day-long film gala began on November 20.

Sourced from PTI and Deadline