Panaji, Nov 20 (IANS): Renowned Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi feels censorship is a global problem.

"Censorship is an ugly method of improving our life," said Zanussi, who will be honoured Tuesday with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony of 43rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

He said that police states tackle this problem in a harsh way, while democratic nations do it in a far more reasonable manner.

Speaking to media persons here Zanussi said, "Internet may build a completely new society or it may destroy us, so the big challenge is to find a balanced way."

Talking about Indian cinema, he said that independent cinema and the popular films are complimentary and one must respect the latter for being the representative of common culture, though not satisfying to personal tastes at times, said a statement.

Known for his artistic and acclaimed films like "Camouflage", "Family life", "The Silent Touch", "The Contract" and "Revisited", Zanussi said of Polish cinema now that "though it is doing well on a contemporary note, but they are not well recognized as was the case during the political turmoil of early eighties."

Describing cinema as a young discipline, the he said that his own best is yet to come.

His film "Illumination" will be shown at IFFI.