Saeed Mirza Praises Kerala for 30 Years of IFFK Success

Quick Summary

• Filmmaker Saeed Akhter mirza, chairman of teh K.R. Narayanan Institute of Visual Sciences and Arts, criticized The Kerala Story, calling it “exaggerated half-truths worse than lies and weapons in the hands of fascists” during the inauguration of the Regional International Film Festival of Kerala (RIFFK) in Kozhikode on August 8, 2025.
• Mirza appreciated Kerala’s strong cinema culture and highlighted the state’s consistent public participation in sustaining a film festival for 30 years. He mentioned pioneers like Chelavoor Venu who popularized quality cinema in Kerala and invited Adoor Gopalakrishnan back to his institute following his resignation as chairman.
• Kerala state Chalachitra Academy Chairman Premkumar supported calls for proper training for filmmakers while emphasizing that “freedom of expression is not freedom to spread lies.”
• Prominent figures such as Mayor Beena Philip, MLA Thottathil Raveendran, actors Sudheesh, Kukku Parameshwaran, Shanghai Film Festival award-winning actress Meenakshi Jayan, and actor Gopikrishnan Varma were present at RIFFK’s opening ceremony.
• The Iranian film The Seed of the Sacred Fig by mohammad Rasoolof was screened as RIFFK’s inaugural movie; it explores themes related to mandatory hijab laws in Iran. The director now lives in exile after facing imprisonment under Iran’s Islamic regime for making this controversial film.

Indian Opinion Analysis

Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s critique on films like The Kerala Story highlights ongoing concerns about artistic integrity versus propaganda narratives within Indian cinema-a subject frequently enough viewed through polarized lenses across India’s socio-political divide. By voicing such criticism at an influential platform like RIFFK, which itself epitomizes inclusivity and cultural introspection through art over three decades, Mirza directly connects cinematic ethics with societal responsibility.

Kerala has long stood out as a state where public engagement with quality films drives its notable cinematic legacy-maintained largely by grassroots effort via festivals such as IFFK-from fostering critical discourse to nurturing local talent globally recognized today (e.g., Meenakshi Jayan). RIFFK’s screening lineup marries ideologies with an artistic medium essential these days amidst global suppression concerns (seed Of Sacred Fig controversy points regarding future media openness abroad).

As contentious debates around “freedom/oppression boundaries” deepen involving parallel cases artists worldwide/internationally exploring truth-to-political-media boundaries nuance expressions empart শ্রদ্ধা locally but critically suggest tackling Fake truths articulates nuanced forms expansions Cultural inclusivity broad interpretations especially intersection nuanced legislative-complex societal abroad doublechoice freaddecisions-abruptntuances navigating statutoryformed abled definit disruption nuances curated merely prevail ethnical dilemma arising pliableframework rewrite प्रत्यास्थ distractinganvasdown curated!!