BAFTA winner Jinko Gotoh, who was part of the five-member jury for the International Competition at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), made it clear today that she and two of her fellow jurors stand by the Nadav Lapid’s comments at the closing ceremony regarding The Kashmir Files (2022) being a “propaganda” movie.
A joint statement signed off by jurors Pascale Chavance, Javier Angulo Barturen and Gotoh was posted on Twitter from her handle. Extending their support to Lapid, the post said: “We stand by his statement”.
This statement comes at a time when many have speculated that Lapid, a politically aware filmmaker, presented his personal opinion at IFFI’s closing ceremony and not that of the jury’s.
Today, clarifying that the jury’s observation on The Kashmir Files was unanimous, the joint statement said :
“At the festival’s closing ceremony, Nadav Lapid, the jury’s president, made a statement on behalf of the jury members stating: We were all of disturbed and shocked by the 15ths film, The Kashmir Files, that felt to us like a vulgar propaganda movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival. We stand by his statement.”
Gotoh is an Oscar-nominated American producer while Barturen is a documentary filmmaker, film critic and journalist from France.
The other jury member Chavance is a film editor based in France.
The statement posted on the Twitter handle of Gotoh, an Oscar nominated US-based producer, further said: “And to clarify, we were not taking a political stance on the film’s content, we were making an artistic statement, and it saddens us greatly to see the festival platform being used for politics and subsequent personal attacks on Nadav. That was never the intention of the jury.”
When asked to comment on the statement posted by Gotoh, Sen said: “I shall not change my statement, whatever I said to you and in other platform. My comments will remain same… It is true, that the said film was rejected in artistic ground. But, I objected his (Lapid) statement – which was not “artistic”. “Vulgar” or “Propaganda” is not any “artistic” statement.”
Kashmir Files row – Indian envoy rejoinder
Earlier Israel’s ambassador to India Naor Gilon publicly denounced filmmaker Nadav Lapid from his country who called ‘The Kashmir Files’ a “propaganda” and “vulgar movie” at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
Mr Gilon also apologized to India in an “open letter” on Twitter, on Tuesday, a day after filmmaker Nadav Lapid, who is heading the festival jury, slammed the movie at the closing ceremony of the festival yesterday.
‘The Kashmir Files’, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, revolves around the exodus and killing of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley in 1990.
The exodus happened during Governor rule in Kashmir at the time when Union government was run by the support of BJP party .. Since 2014 India was governed by BJP party and it prompted the film with many party functionaries and ministers heavily praised the film
Former Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah said ‘The Kashmir Files’ was a “baseless” movie which has spread hatred across the country and in Kashmir.
It has been mired in controversy since its release in March, with many calling it a poignant depiction of a tragic period and critics alleging it is loose with facts.
Gilon even abused Nadav Lapid for abuse of the Indian invitation to the judges’ panel in the “worst way”.
