Previously, films screened at festivals, whether domestic or international, did not have to be screened by the screening committee. Filmmakers used to independently screen their films at international festivals like Cannes, Venice, and Berlin.
What you should know
The issue of 'censorship' has once again become a hot topic among Nepali filmmakers who have been demanding the abolition of the Censor Board. The 'Film Censorship Procedures, 2082', which was brought into effect from December 2, mentions the need to censor films screened at festivals, and filmmakers have expressed objections to the new procedures.
Section 7 of the procedure states that 'except in cases where the committee has delegated the authority to screen films, only films that have passed the screening by the committee will be screened at the festival.' This issue was already covered in the 2080 procedure. However, the discussion about the Censor Board has started again after filmmakers participating in the festival questioned this point of the new procedure. Filmmakers have been raising their voices saying that such cuts to a creation like a film are actually a violation of the freedom of expression of filmmakers.
Earlier, films screened at festivals inside or outside the country did not have to show their films to the screening committee. Filmmakers used to independently screen their films at international festivals like Cannes, Venice, and Berlin. The film 'Shambala', which entered the main competition in Berlin, did not have to pass the screening there. Those festivals also do not censor these films. That is why Nepali films have been screened confidently at such world-renowned festivals. If the censors alter the originality, storytelling and essence of those films, how can Nepali films compete with world films? Even films that have not been given permission to be screened by a particular country are screened confidently at world festivals.
Nepal International Film Festival (NIFF) President KP Pathak says that there is no need to censor films shown at the festival and says that this rule of the new procedure is not practical. 'The films shown at the festival are not commercial. They are creative and experimental, which do not need to be checked by the censor board. There is no practice of censoring festival films globally. Even films banned in some countries are freely screened at international festivals in other countries,' said President Pathak.
According to Pathak, more than a hundred films are selected for screening at the NIFF. Those films have to be selected within a month. He does not see it practical to take more than a hundred films for screening in that short period. On the other hand, how can those films produced in the 'independent' style raise the allowance to be given to the censor? Pathak believes that this rule cannot be implemented, saying that the censors are trying to increase the financial burden on the films participating in the festival in this way. 'The current procedure is irrelevant, impractical and inappropriate,' Pathak said.
Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMF) President Ramyata Limbu argues that such a system should not be implemented in Nepal as there is no censorship practice in film festivals around the world. 'There was no such practice in the world and in Nepal until now. Film festivals are a unique place with independent voices and brainstorming different ideas,' said Ramyata. 'The new procedure includes the issues of censorship and 'self-censorship,' but they are not clear.' Kimf President Ramya is of the opinion that this system will affect the freedom of expression of filmmakers. 'There is a fear that this may negatively affect the freedom of expression,' she said. Director Naveen Subba, who has been standing against film censorship, says that films at festivals will not be censored in India either. He does not see the appropriateness of such a check since festivals around the world accept and screen 'out-of-the-box' films. 'Especially the organizers there are watching and understanding the films that are accepted at festivals. Such films do not need censorship,' Naveen said. 'The Gen-G rebellion was a movement against censorship on social media.' However, it is contradictory for the government, which stands on the foundation of this movement, to tighten censorship again.' 'The Road to the Village' directed by Subba was shown uncensored at the world-renowned film festival in Toronto. Subba argues that Nepal's censorship has taken a reverse course by adopting a practice that is not happening in the world.
The bill that has been moving forward in clause-wise discussions also includes censorship. The suggestions submitted by 11 film-related organizations on the 'Bill to amend and unify the laws related to films' have also suggested loosening censorship. It has been suggested that the 'films should be screened' mentioned in Section 27 of the bill be amended to 'films should be classified' and that the classification office should be vested in the Development Board, not the Ministry of Communications. The bill, which has a new member, has already submitted an amendment with suggestions to include the presence of many filmmakers in the formation of the Film Screening Committee. 'In the current situation, an attempt has been made to bring rules in such a way that the bureaucracy remains in the majority and they exercise control. But the suggestion on the bill we submitted mentions that the majority of filmmakers should be censored, Director Subba said, 'However, I am completely against film censorship, there should be no censorship in films. I am in favor of classifying films, and the responsibility of classification should be given to the producers and directors.'
Director Razila Shrestha, as Naveen said, believes that there should be a majority of filmmakers in the place of classifying films. Recently, director Razila Shrestha, who returned to Nepal after screening her film at a festival in Slovenia, opposes censorship. Razila says that the state has introduced such a procedure to control film students and films like her who are censoring films in Nepal because those who do not understand film are the ones who are censoring films. 'Who are the censors? Have they ever understood and practiced this art form?' Razila says, 'I am in favor of not having a censor.' This rule on the films selected for the festival seems to be an attempt by the state to control the films of us filmmakers right from the festival.''
Director Deepak Rauniyar, who recently endured censorship troubles for a long time due to 'Rajaganj', argues that this kind of policy is an attack on the republic itself. 'This curtails freedom of expression. That is why our voices cannot be controlled like this. I want to strongly oppose censorship,' said director Rauniyar. He has been objecting to such a move in a republic, saying that it is undemocratic and that such an act should not be done since the festival is organized to protect freedom of artistic expression.''
Meanwhile, Censor Board Chairman Uday Bahadur Rana has said that a new procedure has been introduced to make the film censorship process more systematic, transparent and hassle-free. 'We have revised the points to remove the procedural complexities of the Censor Board and correct old errors. "This is an attempt to make the process timely while there are questions about the censor," he said. "The main objective of this procedure is to organize the censor board and provide convenience to the filmmakers." The procedure of
2082 has also revised the meeting-related issues. In sub-section (3) of Section 4, it has been provided that in cases where the term of an expert member has expired and a new one has not been appointed, a film expert member can be invited from the roster prepared by the Ministry in coordination with the Film Development Board to conduct the censoring. This sounds very weak in terms of addressing the demand of the filmmakers for the presence of an expert in the film censor. Section 6 of the new procedure mentions the 'self-censor' method that the filmmakers have been demanding. However, it is stated that the board itself will arrange a form in which the filmmakers themselves can find out the errors seen by the censor. Self-censor and then make them fill out the form again? This reflects the control-oriented nature of the censor.
