Paris-based writer-director and IFFI jury chief Nadav Lapid has launched a fresh attack on filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files. Lapid has revealed in a new interview that The Kashmir Files is an “inappropriate” film for an artistically competitive section of “such a prestigious film festival”.
During the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival India (IFFI) 2022 In Goa, Israeli filmmaker calls Vivek Agnihotri’s film “propaganda” and “obscene”, causing huge uproar. Later, he apologized for his remarks. However, Lapid once again criticizes the film by saying that “it has no internal contradiction or complexity, and is completely flat.”
“When I saw The Kashmir Files (2022), I knew it was an Indian entry. That’s more or less the only thing I knew about it. However, while watching it, I found the film to be a cheap, vulgar and propaganda film,” Lapid told The Indian Express.
Lapid, who lives in Tel Aviv in Israel, further said that films like The Kashmir Files “should not be part of the competition section” at film festivals.
“I have been part of the jury at dozens of festivals, including international ones held in Berlin, Cannes, Locarno and Venice. I have never seen a film like The Kashmir Files at these festivals.
During his speech at IFFI, Lapid had said, “We were all perplexed and surprised by the 15th film ‘The Kashmir Files’. It struck us as a propaganda, obscene film, inappropriate for the artistic competition section of such a prestigious film festival. I feel completely comfortable sharing these feelings openly with you on this platform. In the spirit of the festival, we can certainly welcome a critical discussion, which is essential to art and life.” An excerpt from Lapid’s speech went viral on social media, sparking a heated debate over his comments on the film. Which holds sentimental value in hearts.Dividing the internet, the Israeli director received both praise and criticism for his comment.
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