Before The Kashmir Files remark, Nadav Lapid said playing Indian national anthem at IFFI underwhelming

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s recent comments about The Kashmir Files during the closing ceremony of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2022 at Goa have snowballed into a raging controversy.

Lapid was the jury head at IFFI Goa with the other jury members being US producer Jinko Gotoh, French editor Pascale Chavance, Spanish filmmaker and critic Javier Angulo and Indian filmmaker Sudipto Sen.

The Kindergarten Teacher director called the The Kashmir Files as “propaganda” and “vulgar” and this has not gone down well. The Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Golin took him to task on social media condemning his remarks and telling Lapid, “you should be ashamed.”

However, it looks like Lapid speaks his mind and is very vociferous with his opinions. As reported by PTI, in an interview to The Peacock, the flagship publication of the Entertainment Society of Goa, Lapid commented about playing the Indian national anthem at IFFI Goa. He told the magazine, “I completely admire the fierce patriotism, but that was an underwhelming experience for an artist at an international event.”

Lapid’s interview was published in The Peacock during the November 20-28 festival. Lapid told the magazine that he was not there as an ambassador of Israel but as an artist who was willing to experience different cultures.

IFFI is organised by the Information and Broadcasting ministry and National Film Development Corporation along with The Peacock, one of the organisers of the event. The Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur was present throughout the film festival along with other senior government officials.