Prakriti Foundation
presents
One Billion Eyes Indian Documentary Film Festival – 2011

The festival will be opened on the 15th of August with the screening of "Gandhi: Twentieth Century Prophet" by Late Mr. A.K. Chettiar (1911-1983), a famous Tamil travelogue writer, journalist and documentary film maker. While on a ship from New York to Dublin, Chettiar recorded that the idea of making a film on Mahatma Gandhi occurred to him right on Gandhiji's birthday. Back in Chennai, Chettiar, originally a photographer jumped into an experiment on documentary filmmaking and began to salvage precious footage and material from archives, news agencies, studios and individuals, while he continued to study with his camera the contemporary view on Gandhiji.

The original 81-minute film, 'Mahatma Gandhi - Twentieth Century Prophet' with Tamil commentary is reportedly lost. But a valuable revived version of the film brings to life episodes showing Gandhiji's participation in the All India Congress Committee, the Round Table Conference in London, the Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement, and much more.

As part of our outreach programme, Mr. Parnab Mukherjee, an acclaimed authority on Badal Sircar's theatre and Shakespeare-in-education, who specializes in theatre-for-conflict-resolution and theatre-of-the-campus, brings to Chennai’s schools and colleges - 'soaked-stretched-submerged: a cross media choreo-poem'. Performed by Surjit Nonmeikapam and Baishampayan Saha in collaboration with Rohit Bhoot, in note of commemorating the 75th year of the foundation of Sewagram at Wardha and the centenary of Gandhiji's Tolstoy Farm in South Africa, this poem tells the stories of a historic Sunday market in Ahmedabad, the Gujari bazaar.

‘Re-looking at Gandhi Today’ is a panel discussion that will be held on 16th of August, with esteemed panelists consisting of Ms. V. R. Devika (Managing Trustee, Aseema Trust), Mr. Ram Subramaniam (Chief Samanvaya), C. Annamalai (Director, Gandhi Study Circle) and A. S. Panneerselvam. This session will moderated by Mr. Ranvir Shah.

On 18th of August, Gouranga Charan Dash from Odisha performs Bapu Katha, a shadow puppetry narration of Gandhiji’s life. Gouranga Dash is at present engaged in the study and research of the origin and growth of puppet theatre in Odisha. 

The festival will conclude on the 19th of August with a concert of Mahatma's favourite bhajans by Bombay Jayashri¸ a renowned contemporary classical musician, and her students. Her repertoire of meditative music and rare poetry enables her to interpret, render and convey from years ago the favourite ragas and swaras of Gandhiji.  

The festival jury consisting of Mr. K Hariharan (Director, L.V. Prasad Film & TV Academy), Ms. V.R. Devika (Managing Trustee Aseema Trust), and Mr. Paneer Selvam will watch the films screened on each day of the festival and award a prize of Rs. 25,000 for the best film.

ENTRIES

MG Road (32 mins) – by Pravin Mishra. 

MG Road is a painter's interpretation of Gandhi. If Mahatma Gandhi were alive today, what would have been his advice to the dictators of the world? How could he have taught 'Gandhigiri' to the terrorists? MG Road is a journey into Gandhi's philosophy and its relevance today. The memories of Mahatma have been reduced by the mainstream, to MG Road, where currency notes bearing Gandhi's head, change hands around the omnipresent statues. MG Road is now a mute witness to rivalry, exploitation and cunningness under the booming capitalization and cut throat competition. It is this contradiction in attitude towards Gandhi that prompted Pravin to work on a series of nine paintings based on 'Navrasa' on the distortion of Gandhian values in today's times. In the process of understanding Gandhi, Pravin made this 32 minute film basically to portray the views of people of different backgrounds on Gandhian values. MG Road also motivates the younger generation to understand Gandhi.

A Season Outside (30 mins) – by Amar Kanwar
There is perhaps no border outpost in the world quite like the Wagah, the border between India and Pakistan – an outpost where every evening people are drawn to a thin white line and probably anyone in the eye of a conflict could find him or herself here.

I Found a Thread (26 mins) – by Tangella Madhavi. 
Sewagram Ashram is a place envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi. He lived there and guided many to follow a simple lifestyle. Today, even in this era of consumerism the residents of the Ashram follow a simple life. When I heard this, I was baffled. I visited the place as a wandering tourist. At the Ashram, I met Malti. The film is a documentation of my journey into Malti's world and my understanding of it. In the process, the film explores the relevance of Gandhian ideology in the wake of rampant consumerism in India and the world.

The Salt Stories (84 mins) – by Lalit Vachani. 
In 1930, a group of Indians led by a frail, elderly man marched a distance of 241 miles. They marched for salt. Mahatma Gandhi was able to craft an anti-colonial, nationalist movement around the most basic issue of livelihood: the right of Indians to make and consume their own salt. 77 years later, the Wide Eye Film team followed the trail of the famous Dandi salt march, stopping at the same villages and towns, in search of Gandhi's legacy. Set against the backdrop of Gandhi's original journey, this is a road-movie about issues of livelihood in modern, globalizing India. It is a documentary about 'the salt stories' of our times.

Gandhi through the Eyes of a Cartoonist (9 mins) – by Shaila Paralkar (Films Division). 
It is a life sketch of Mahatma Gandhi seen through the eyes of the cartoonist.

Ye Kaisi Aazadi Hai (5 mins) – by Pravin Mishra. 

After 63 year of Independence of India, around 400 million unorganized workers struggle to survive without any tangible right, though they substantially contribute to the national income. No employment regulation, no pension, no maternity benefits, no accident compensation, no provision to get even the minimum wages or health benefits. Instead, crumbs of social assistance schemes are thrown at them by the state as charity. Ye Kaisi Aazadi Hai? asks Jagjit Singh, joining the campaigners of Social Security Now, a network of trade unions, civil society organizations, people's movements and concerned individuals fighting for securing Social Security Rights for the countless, voiceless, unorganized workers.

Gandhi’s Letter to Hitler (3:40) – by Bhipen Choubal (Films Division). 
This is a loving message from a man of non-violence to a man who believed in violence.

Tales from Napa (6:30) – by Lalit Vachani. 
Tales from Napa is the remarkable story of a little village that resisted the forces of Hindu fundamentalism during the 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat, India. Set in the village of Napa, the film investigates the role played by local Hindus and Muslims and their social institutions in maintaining the peace, in the context of a history of economic interdependence, communal harmony and syncretism.

Pregnancy Prescriptions and Protocols (52 mins) – by Surabhi Sharma.
India's public health system is in a crisis, and has to grapple with multiple challenges. Moreover there have been competing perspectives regarding the medicalisation of birth and the experience of pregnancy. This film documents a remarkable community health programme run by a Gandhian hospital in a tribal area in South Gujarat. It records the work of a medical fraternity that insists that pregnancy and women's health should not be understood exclusively in terms of a series of prescriptions and medical protocol alone.

Aap Hamare Hain Kaun (7 mins 36 sec) – by Madhusree Dutta.

A short film made in 2002 that explores 'When and where is Gandhi? Mahatma today.'

Dharamveer (4 mins) – by Pravin Mishra. 

'Dharamveer' is a common man at peace. Conflicting and competing ideologies confront him. His innocence and confusion vanishes when he finds himself trapped in an ideological web. His view gets subverted by the collective hate of the fanatic mob. The attempt is to bring together the frightening reality of impressionable minds being moulded and made into 'holy warriors'. The fact that they are pawns in the game of vicious poltics seems to be forgotten. This film is a reaction to certain personal experiences and first person accounts of immeasurable grief and tragedy of the communal violence in Gujarat. This film does not propose solutions, nor does it offer solace. It merely seeks to hold up a mirror for all of us. 'Dharamveer' seeks to provoke a debate, and challenges us to speak out. We need to seek answers all through, much after the pain vanishes the scars remain grim, and constant reminders to history not wanting to repeat itself. And speak we must, for it is when we stop talking that violence begins its dance of death.

To Remember (8 m) – by Amar Kanwar -  
An assassination, a gallery, the smell of death and a silent curse; a silent film.

Lines of Mahatma (20 mins) – by R. V. Ramani

A painting exhibition displays, old drawings of Mahatma Gandhi, done in 1960’s by the eminent Chennai based artist K. M. Adimoolam. At the suggestion of the filmmaker, after a gap of almost 3 decades, K. M. Adimoolam once again attempts to do a sketch of Gandhi. The film reflects upon the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi through the drawings of Adimoolam.