After HC nod, jury members still to hear from IFFI over S Durga screening

PANAJI : Indian Panorama jury members on Sunday said they are yet to hear from the IFFI officials on the matter related to the screening of Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s film S Durga, a day after he submitted copies to festival director Sunit Tandon as directed by Kerala high court.

Ruchi Narain, one of the jury members for the Indian Panorama section of the 48th International Film Festival of India, said she had not been informed by the IFFI officials about a screening for the jury members yet.

“There has been no intimation from IFFI yet. We are waiting for them to contact us,” Narain said.

The last few days saw a standoff between the makers of Malayalam S Durga and IFFI authorities over screening of the controversial movie, which was one of the two films to be dropped.

Three members, including head of jury panel Sujoy Ghosh, resigned in protest while six jury members wrote to the information and broadcasting ministry raising concerns over the move.

On Sasidharan’s petition, the HC directed IFFI to screen the film after its censored version was screened for the jury.

An appeal by the ministry to stay the direction was rejected by the high court on Friday.

Narain said after the court order she was one of the first jury members to write to IFFI seeking to know when the film will be screened for the jury.

“I am in Mumbai now. But if IFFI wants me to be in Goa for the jury screening, I am willing to go,” Narain told IANS.

Another member, on the condition of anonymity, said he too had not been informed by IFFI about a jury screening.

Sasidharan said it was unfortunate the festival authorities were dragging their feet. “They are actually treating us like dogs,” Kumar said, adding he was made to wait for over an hour while submitting the film copies to IFFI director Saturday.

IFFI spokesperson Manish Desai said it was up to the festival authorities to schedule a screening for the jury.