International Film Festival Of India Jury President Nadav Lapid Slams Fest For Inclusion Of “Propaganda Movie” ‘The Kashmir Files’ In Competition

Liz Shackleton
·2 min read

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

While praising the quality of most of the 15 films in 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.”

More from Deadline

He continued: “I feel totally comfortable to share openly these feelings here with you on stage since the spirit of the festival can truly accept also a critical discussion, which is essential for art and for life.”

Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film is a depiction of the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, also known as Pandits, from the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley following rising violence in an insurgency in the early 1990s. 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, as the festival is a government-organised event, funded by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party is understood to have supported the film.

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. He also served as a member of the jury of the Critics Week section at the 2016 edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

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

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Jackson Holliday sent back to Triple-A after struggling in first 10 games with Orioles

    Holliday batted .059 in 34 at-bats after being called up on April 10.

  • King Charles: What kind of cancer treatment is available to him - and what impact could it have

    Some cancer treatments can last 3 to 6 months or up to weeks in the case of radiotherapy

  • C$ trims weekly gain as U.S. inflation remains sticky

    The Canadian dollar edged lower against its U.S. counterpart on Friday as U.S. inflation data suggested the Federal Reserve could turn more hawkish compared to the Bank of Canada and some other major peers, but the currency still notched a weekly gain. The loonie was trading 0.1% lower at 1.3665 to the U.S. dollar, or 73.18 U.S. cents, with the currency pulling back after it touched its strongest level since April 10 at 1.3633. "It is getting harder for the Fed not to sound hawkish given the inflation data surprises since January," strategists at TD Securities, including Jayati Bharadwaj, said in a note.

  • Baby Reindeer’s ‘real’ Martha denies stalking Richard Gadd: ‘I'm the victim here’

    Richard Gadd's real-life stalker 'Martha' has denied the events in Baby Reindeer in new interview

  • Woman with sister named Kevyn reveals clever reason their mother gave them ‘boy names’

    ‘I couldn’t picture my sister being named anything else. So just name your baby whatever you want,’ she said

  • UPDATE 1-US Labor Department corrects productivity data from 2019 through 2023

    The U.S. Labor Department on Friday corrected productivity data from 2019 through 2023 after a computation error in off-the-clock hours worked ratios biased downward the labor hours levels underlying the productivity and costs data published last month. Worker productivity increased at a 3.3% annualized rate in the fourth quarter, corrected from the previously reported 3.2% pace. Rising worker productivity is helping to contain labor costs for businesses, which ultimately could lead to lower inflation over time.

  • CANADA FX DEBT-C$ trims weekly gain as U.S. inflation remains sticky

    The Canadian dollar edged lower against its U.S. counterpart on Friday as U.S. inflation data suggested the Federal Reserve could turn more hawkish compared to the Bank of Canada and some other major peers, but the currency still notched a weekly gain. The loonie was trading 0.1% lower at 1.3665 to the U.S. dollar, or 73.18 U.S. cents, with the currency pulling back after it touched its strongest level since April 10 at 1.3633. "It is getting harder for the Fed not to sound hawkish given the inflation data surprises since January," strategists at TD Securities, including Jayati Bharadwaj, said in a note.

  • Trump’s attorneys try to pick holes in David Pecker’s ‘catch and kill’ testimony

    Former tabloid publisher confirms he helped bury Karen McDougal’s story to help Trump’s election chances

  • Intel CEO confident in its AI future after posting soft guidance

    Intel's negative earnings surprise caught a few of the newfound bulls to the story by surprise.

  • Israeli strike kills Lebanese militant in Beqaa area

    An Israeli strike in Lebanon's Beqaa region has killed a member of a Lebanese militant group that has fired rockets across the southern border at Israel, the Israeli military and a security source said on Friday. Israel's military said in a statement on Friday that its air force "struck and eliminated Mosab Khalaf in the area of Meidoun in Lebanon," saying he was a member of the Jama'a Islamiya group and had carried out attacks against Israel.

  • Some Americans filed free with IRS Direct File pilot in 2024, but not everyone's a fan

    IRS says more than 140,000 Americans filed their taxes free using its Direct File pilot, but critics say the program's unnecessary and costly.

  • Hackers claim to have infiltrated Belarus' main security service

    A Belarusian hacker activist group claims to have infiltrated the network of the country’s main KGB security agency and accessed personnel files of over 8,600 employees of the organization, which still goes under its Soviet name. The authorities have not commented on the claim, but the website of the Belarusian KGB was opening with an empty page on Friday that said it was “in the process of development”. Seeking to back up its claim, the Belarusian Cyber-Partisans group published a list of the website's administrators, its database and server logs on its page in the messaging app Telegram.

  • Several defensive playmakers are available in Round 2 of the NFL draft after historic offensive run

    The unprecedented run on quarterbacks, wide receivers and pass protectors in the NFL draft 's opening round pushed plenty of standout defenders down the board and allowed some of the top teams to select players who normally wouldn't fall to them. It also shoved plenty of first-round worthy defenders into the second round Friday, led by Cooper DeJean, the Iowa cornerback who broke his lower leg in November but has been cleared to return to football activities. DeJean is one of the best ballhawks

  • William Nylander practises with Leafs ahead of Game 4 against Bruins

    TORONTO — Maple Leafs winger William Nylander appears on course to suit for the first time in this spring's Stanley Cup playoffs. The 27-year-old was a full participant at today's practice after missing the first three games of Toronto's opening-round series against the Boston Bruins with an undisclosed injury. Nylander wouldn't say what's kept him out of the Original Six matchup, but added he's been "feeling great" heading into tomorrow's Game 4 with the Leafs trailing 2-1. The Swede's arrival

  • Bernhard Langer, just 3 months after Achilles tear, plans to return to PGA Tour Champions

    The legend of Langer grows.

  • Paramount Board Might Oust CEO Bob Bakish Amid M&A Talks: Report

    Bob Bakish may be out at Paramount Global even before any sale or merger deal for the media company is completed. The board of directors of Paramount Global, including controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, have discussed a plan to oust Bakish as CEO, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources. Instead, the company would form …

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo ruled out of third game in Bucks-Pacers playoff series

    INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out of Game 3 of the NBA playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Thursday that Antetokounmpo did more at practice than he had been during a nearly three-week absence with a strained left calf, though he still avoided live workouts. Instead, the Bucks waited till Friday to make the announcement on social media. The league’s two-time MVP has not played since getting hurt April 9. Milwaukee

  • Google plans to invest $2 billion to build data center in northeast Indiana, officials say

    FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Google plans to invest $2 billion to build a data center in northeastern Indiana that will help power its artificial intelligence technology and cloud business, company and state officials said Friday. The data center planned for Fort Wayne was announced in January. But Google disclosed the project's cost Friday and said it is expected to create up to new 200 jobs, including data center technicians and support services, The Journal Gazette reported. The data center in the

  • Man wins SC lottery prize following lead of customer in line ahead of him, officials say

    The odds of winning were 1-in-750,000.

  • Exclusive-General Mills explores sale of $2 billion-plus yogurt business in North America, sources say

    General Mills, the maker of Cocoa Puffs and Cheerios breakfast cereals, is exploring a sale of its North America yogurt business including its popular Yoplait brand in a deal that could be worth more than $2 billion, people familiar with the matter said. The Minneapolis-based food conglomerate is working with investment bank JPMorgan Chase to gauge interest from potential buyers that could include rival snack food makers and private equity firms, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the discussions are confidential. General Mills is hoping to fetch a valuation for the yogurt portfolio of nearly 10 times the unit's 12-month earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of about $250 million, the sources said.