[Reader-list] N. Delhi Appellate Tribunal (on 11 Aug) hearing 'Aakrosh' Film on Gujarat

[Harsh Kapoor]

Press Note
To,
The Editor/Chief Reporter

Subject: I& B Ministry , New Delhi Appellate Tribunal
to hear 'Aakrosh' Film on Gujarat Carnage issue on
11th August 2003.

'Aakrosh'. a film made by People's Media Initiative
for Manima Creations on victims and survivors of
Gujarat 2002 communal carnage, a film which has given
voice to their suffering and woes, their plight and
anguish who are still to come to terms with the
meaninglessness of violence and death thrust on them.
The Film was rejected by Censor Board- Mumbai for
public screening and exhibition on 4-03-03 giving
reason that it shows the Government and Police in bad
light. We appealed to Revising Committee of Censor
Board- Mumbai, and Revising Committee, too, uphold
earlier decision of the Censor Board Committee by
stating similar reasons.

We protested the decision of the Censor Board fearing
that Government. wants to black out shameful Gujarat
Communal Carnage- Genocide and wants to cover up the
issue, we feared that there is direct attack on
freedom of expression and to see information the
rights guaranteed under Indian Constitution, we felt
that political Censorship has slowly begun in India as
our second film 'Chords on the Richter Scale' post
Kutch Earthquake 2001 situation in Gujarat too got
banned by the Censor Board. We made appeal to Film
Certification Appellate Tribunal of I&B Ministry New
Delhi to review the decision of Censor Board Mumbai
and lift the ban imposed on both the Films.

Appellate Tribunal will be hearing the matter on 11th
August 2003, Monday at 2:00 p.m. at Film Division
Auditorium, Mahadev Road, Near Gole Post Office, New
Delhi and PMI team will be showing the Film to them
and will argue the matter with the Tribunal.

'Aakrosh' has received worldwide appreciation and
accolades, it has got selected for special screening
at Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland as Human Right
Film, it got selected out of hundreds of entries to
the South Asian Film Festival, Indo-British Film
Festival, Milan Film Festival and so on. Even Sardar
Vallabhai University in Anand - Gujarat has kept
special screening of this film for their students only
to tell that how innocents have suffered in the
violence in Gujarat and many Universities, Educational
Institutions are considering 'Aakrosh' as an ideal
film to preach importance of peace and communal
harmony and that ultimately it is the common man who
suffers in any kind of violence. Violence only serves
the purpose of the ruling class to divert main issue
from the public mind.

Peopleís Media Initiative will be challenging decision
of Film Division, which is hosting Mumbai
International Film Festival for Documentaries, short
and animation films in February 2004 in High Court
that only those films having Censor Board Certificate
will be qualified for selection process to enter the
Film Festival. There are a number of films today
including 'Aakrosh', 'Chords on the Richter Scale'
that will not qualify for entry as it is not having
Censor Certificate , though they qualify abroad.
Peopleís Media Initiative will be fighting the
beginning of Political Censorship till the end.

Ramesh Pimple, Shyam Ranjankar, Geeta Chawda

Ramesh Pimple  Mobile: 09821109295
Tel: (022) 26358301/02
Address: 002, Gr. Flr., Parasrampuria Tower No. 6,
Lokhandwala, Andheri (W), Mumbai ñ 400 053.