New Delhi: The BJP-led Indian government has cancelled the screening of No Other Land, an Oscar-winning documentary highlighting the plight of Palestinians.

According to a statement by Kashmir Media Service, the film was co-produced by Israeli and Palestinian activists and was scheduled to be shown at the Dharamshala International Film Festival and the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. However, the screenings were abruptly canceled after the government refused to provide the necessary censor exemption.

A particular sequence in the documentary, depicting an Israeli bulldozer demolishing a Palestinian home, was to be part of the film’s opening trailer. This scene was intended as a “ringing reminder” of the narrative now unseen due to the government’s intervention.

The film, crafted by four activists and journalists—Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, and Hamdan Ballal Al-Huraini—documents the struggles faced by Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta. This area, comprising 19 villages in the southern West Bank, deals with constant attempts by Israeli settlers and the army to seize land and demolish properties.

The decision to cancel the screenings occurs amid a wider crackdown by Indian authorities on Palestinian solidarity expressions. This follows Israel’s military actions in Gaza post-October 7, which resulted in significant casualties. Since then, Indian authorities have acted against protests and solidarity events, with FIRs filed and arrests made in response to demonstrations against Israeli actions.