Tense moments at Chennai IFF

Chennai-based director Leena Manimekalai, who attended the inaugural of the 9th Chennai International Film Festival on Dec.14, was upset and angry on finding that her film 'Sengadal' was not among the films to be screened in the Indian Panorama Section.

An emotionally charged Leena and her team started waving placards and shouting slogans inside the venue (Woodlands Theatre) when director Shekhar Kapur was about to address the audience.

'Sengadal' is a 100-minute feature fiction film on the families of Tamil fishermen killed by the Sri Lankan army on the high seas. The local Censor Board banned it in 2010, but it was finally released in July 2011 with 'A' certification without any cuts. It was selected for the Indian Panorama section of the 2011 IFFI held earlier this year. But it was excluded from the list for the Chennai festival.

This film received the Network of Asian Women's Film Festivals award at the 24th Tokyo International Women's Film Festival. The movie was also screened at the Goa IFF.

When Leena lodged a protest, the festival organizers said they would look into the matter