[IMC Bombay] Aftershocks : The Rough Guide to Democracy
Rakesh Sharma
actindia at vsnl.com
Thu, 08 Aug 2002 20:30:12 +0530
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I am enclosing some information about a film I worked on during March
2001 - February 2002. It deals with Development/ Displacement,
Environment, Peoples' Rights and Democracy. It documents the process of
displacement on account of developmental projects( fossil fuel based
power plant) in a remote part of western India - Kutch. It is set in 2
villages - one comprising low-caste Rabaris ( nomad-pastoralists) and
the other comprising upper-caste Durbars .The film has won several
international awards and has been invited to many film festivals
(details below).
Aftershocks is about the transformation of the Welfare State into an
instrument of Corporate governance. It examines the
acquisition/displacement of two quake affected villages for lignite
mining and generation of electricity. It probes the microcosm in the
nature of a study "from below" of globalisation of Economy and
corporatisation of Democracy.
It is an independent self-financed film, made without any grant,
contribution or funding. I am now attempting to recover part of the
costs by selling VHS copies. Please let me know whether you would be
interested in buying one or more copies of the film [Rs 1500 + 100 ( for
postage etc) ]. Individuals/ activists may write to actindia@vsnl.com to
obtain copies at a discount.
I would be grateful if you could forward a copy of this email to those
who you think may be interested in extending support to this film.
Regards
rakesh sharma
Aftershocks -The Rough Guide to Democracy
India 66 minutes 2002
Awards : Le Prix de la Presse politique award for the best documentary
film at the 16th Fribourg International film festival in Switzerland
(March 2002). Bronze for best documentary feature, Big Muddy film fest
(USA), April 2002, John Michaels memorial award, Big Muddy film fest
(USA), Best Documentary (Special Mention), Black International Cinema
festival, Berlin
Recent invitations/ future screenings : Durban International film
festival, Split film festival ( Croatia), 4th international Panorama (
Greece), Portobello film festival (UK), Alternative film festival
(Italy ), Motovun festival (Croatia), Arts Electronica (Austria ), Rhode
Island international film festival (USA), Docudays (Beirut), Ecocinema
(Greece)
Already screened at : Mumbai Intnl filmfest ( premiere; Feb 9, 2002),
Fribourg ( Switzerland), HongKong fest, Dokfest (Munich ), Festival
Voces Contra el Silencio ( Mexico), Beeld Voor Beeld film festival
(Amsterdam), Papua New Guinea international film festival, The Black
International cinema festival in Munich/ Berlin/Dusseldorf (May-June,
2002), Envirofilm 2002 (slovakia), Zanzibar International film
festival, Directors' View fest (USA), Bare Bones fest (USA), Big Muddy
film fest (USA), Downstream filmfest (USA), Calcutta Festival of Social
Cinema and others.
Review blurbs : in major daily newspapers
"It is an exposé...it shocks, it jolts..." - Indian Express
"The film delves into the complexities of caste..." - Hindustan Times
"Aftershocks captures brilliantly the 'business as usual' philosophy of
our elites - Hindu
"The quake was used to harness corporate goals...Aftershocks captures
the proceedings"- The Independent(UK)
SYNOPSIS
On January 26, 2001, Kutch (Gujarat, India) was devastated by a massive
earthquake. Over 20,000 people died and tens of thousands of homes were
destroyed. Bhuj, Anjar, Rapar and Bhachau, the most severely affected
areas, received attention from many international relief agencies,
national and international media, even personal visits from Prime
Minister Vajpayee and Citizen Clinton.
This film is set in Julrai and Umarsar , two villages in Lakhpat, near
the India Pakistan border, close to the Gujarat coast, and too far away
from Bhuj to be in focus. Umarsar is an upper caste Durbar village,
while Julrai's entire population comprises low class Rabbaris,
semi-nomadic shepherds, who began to settle down into permanent villages
only in the last couple of hundred years. The two villages have nothing
in common except that both were almost totally destroyed during the
quake and both are sitting on top of lignite reserves. The
Government-controlled Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation has a
monopoly over any mining activity in the region. GMDC is likely to be
privatised completely over the next few years; 26% of its shares were
sold to corporates, financial institutions and investors in 1997-98.
This film traces the story of GMDC's attempts to acquire the two
villages. Eight weeks after the quake, on March 26, 2001, our camera
accidentally bumps into the GMDC acquisition survey team in Umarasar.
Over the next few months, the film moves in and out of Julrai, Umarsar
and the GMDC's existing lignite mines and probes the processes of
displacement and resettlement.
Did GMDC succeed in exploiting the earthquake as a God-sent opportunity
to hasten the acquisition? How did the obviously vulnerable
quake-affected people of Julrai and Umarsar deal with it? What was the
role of the state government machinery, entrusted with the welfare of
its calamity affected people? How have the existing mines and the power
plant affected the lives of the people living nearby? Have the
Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislative taken note of this human
impact before they paved the way for the new mines and the new power
plant? The film is a hitchiker's journey through the labyrinthine
universe of Democracy, as it exists in its lowest unit level - the
Indian village.
This 68 minute film has been shot and edited entirely on Digital Video
-miniDV ( Sony TRV900 and MatroxRT2500-Adobe Premiere). Languages spoken
by the people include Kutchi, Gujarati, Hindi and English. The film has
been subtitled in English.
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I am enclosing some information about a film I worked on during March
2001 - February 2002. It deals with Development/ Displacement, Environment,
Peoples' Rights and Democracy. It documents the process of displacement
on account of developmental projects( fossil fuel based power plant) in
a remote part of western India - Kutch. It is set in 2 villages - one comprising
low-caste Rabaris ( nomad-pastoralists) and the other comprising upper-caste
Durbars .The film has won several international awards and has
been invited to many film festivals (details below). <br>
<br>
<b>Aftershocks is about the transformation of the Welfare State into an instrument
of Corporate governance. It examines the acquisition/displacement of two
quake affected villages for lignite mining and generation of electricity.
It probes the microcosm in the nature of a study "from below" of globalisation
of Economy and corporatisation of Democracy.<br>
</b><br>
It is an independent self-financed film, made without any grant,
contribution or funding. I am now attempting to recover part of
the costs by selling VHS copies. Please let me know whether you would
be interested in buying one or more copies of the film [Rs 1500 +
100 ( for postage etc) ]. Individuals/ activists may write to <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:actindia@vsnl.com">
actindia@vsnl.com</a>
to obtain copies at a discount.<br>
<br>
I would be grateful if you could forward a copy of this email to those
who you think may be interested in extending support to this film.<br>
<br>
Regards<br>
rakesh sharma<b><br>
</b><br>
<div class="moz-text-html" style="font-family: Times New Roman; ">
<div class="moz-text-html" style="font-family: Times New Roman; "><b>Aftershocks
-The Rough Guide to Democracy</b> <br>
India 66 minutes 2002<br>
<b> Awards</b> : <b>Le Prix de la Presse politique award</b> for the best
documentary film at the 16th Fribourg International film
festival in Switzerland (March 2002). Bronze for best documentary
feature, <b>Big Muddy</b> film fest (USA), April 2002, John Michaels
memorial award, Big Muddy film fest (USA), Best Documentary (Special
Mention), Black International Cinema festival, Berlin <br>
<br>
<b>Recent invitations</b>/ future screenings : <b>Durban</b> International
film festival, Split film festival ( <b>Croatia</b>), 4th international
Panorama ( Greece), Portobello film festival (<b>UK</b>), Alternative film
festival (<b>Italy</b> ), Motovun festival (<b>Croatia</b>), Arts Electronica
(Austria ), Rhode Island international film festival (<b>USA</b>), Docudays
(<b>Beirut</b>), Ecocinema (<b>Greece</b>)<br>
<br>
<b>Already screened at</b> : Mumbai Intnl filmfest ( premiere; Feb 9, 2002),
<b>Fribourg</b> ( Switzerland), <b>HongKong</b> fest, Dokfest (<b>Munich</b>
), Festival Voces Contra el Silencio (<b> Mexico</b>), <b>Beeld
Voor Beeld</b> film festival (Amsterdam), Papua New Guinea international
film festival, The Black International cinema festival in Munich/ Berlin/Dusseldorf
(May-June, 2002), Envirofilm 2002 (slovakia), <b>Zanzibar</b> International
film festival, Directors' View fest (USA), Bare Bones fest (USA),
Big Muddy film fest (USA), Downstream filmfest (USA), <b>Calcutta</b> Festival
of Social Cinema and others.<br>
<br>
<b>Review</b> blurbs : in major daily newspapers<br>
“It is an exposé…it shocks, it jolts…” – <b>
Indian Express</b><br>
“The film delves into the complexities of
caste…” - <b> Hindustan Times</b><br>
“Aftershocks captures brilliantly the ‘business
as usual’ philosophy of our elites – <b>Hindu</b><br>
“The quake was used to harness corporate goals…Aftershocks
captures the proceedings”- T<b>he Independent(UK)</b><br>
<br>
<b>SYNOPSIS</b> <br>
On January 26, 2001, Kutch (Gujarat,
India) was devastated by a massive earthquake. Over 20,000 people
died and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. Bhuj, Anjar,
Rapar and Bhachau, the most severely affected areas, received attention
from many international relief agencies, national and international
media, even personal visits from Prime Minister Vajpayee and Citizen
Clinton. <br>
This film is set in <b>Julrai</b>
and <b> Umarsar</b> , two villages in Lakhpat, near the
India Pakistan border, close to the Gujarat coast, and too far
away from Bhuj to be in focus. Umarsar is an upper caste Durbar village,
while Julrai's entire population comprises low class Rabbaris, semi-nomadic
shepherds, who began to settle down into permanent villages only
in the last couple of hundred years. The two villages have nothing
in common except that both were almost totally destroyed during the
quake and both are sitting on top of lignite reserves. The Government-controlled
Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation has a monopoly over any mining
activity in the region. GMDC is likely to be privatised completely over
the next few years; 26% of its shares were sold to corporates, financial
institutions and investors in 1997-98.<br>
<b>This film traces the story of GMDC's attempts to acquire the two villages.
Eight weeks after the quake, on March 26, 2001, our camera
accidentally bumps into the GMDC acquisition survey team in Umarasar.
Over the next few months, the film moves in and out of Julrai,
Umarsar and the GMDC's existing lignite mines and probes the processes
of displacement and resettlement. <br>
</b>Did GMDC succeed in exploiting the earthquake as a God-sent opportunity
to hasten the acquisition? How did the obviously vulnerable
quake-affected people of Julrai and Umarsar deal with it? What
was the role of the state government machinery, entrusted with
the welfare of its calamity affected people? How have the existing
mines and the power plant affected the lives of the people living
nearby? Have the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislative taken
note of this human impact before they paved the way for the new mines
and the new power plant? <b>The film is a hitchiker's journey through
the labyrinthine universe of Democracy, as it exists in its lowest
unit level - the Indian village. </b><br>
This 68 minute film has been shot and edited
entirely on Digital Video -miniDV ( Sony TRV900 and MatroxRT2500-Adobe
Premiere). Languages spoken by the people include Kutchi, Gujarati,
Hindi and English. The film has been subtitled in English. </div>
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