At the India International Film Festival, Jury President Nadav Lapid did something unprecedented, criticizing the inclusion of “Kashmir Files” in the competition.
He publicly bashed the film as sheer “propaganda” at the closing ceremony, adding that a film like this never belongs at film festivals and that fourteen of the fifteen films in competition were of good quality.
Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, “Kashmir Files” is based on the “exodus” of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s. The film is said to be very cozy to the Indian government’s narrative.
A general unwritten rule if you’re chosen as the president of a film festival jury is to not call out the festival that paid for your travels, accommodation and gave you the honourable task of leading the event. Then again, I’m not well-versed enough on the politics behind this controversial movie.
Lapid’s surprising statement angered popular Indian journalist, Aditya Raj Kahul, who tweeted:
“Shameless statement on The Kashmir Files by someone who comes across as illiterate. Will this Israeli film director Nadav Lapid call Holocaust a propaganda? Will he call Schindler’s List and The Pianist as propaganda films?”
In case you’re unaware, Lapid is the world-class filmmaker behind such films as “Policeman,” “Synonyms” and “The Kindergarten Teacher.” He can probably get away with what he did this past weekend in India, and if anything, he’s bringing a voice of activism to an important subject matter.
And just like that, after Venice and Telluride, the Best Actor race is taking shape, with Andrew Scott (“Elsinore”) and John Malkovich (“Wild Horse Nine”) emerging as major contenders.