Tripura film at US, Europe and Oz festivals

Thursday, June 11, 2009 : 1415 Hrs

Agartala(PTI): A film from Tripura 'Yarwng' (Roots), which was recently described by the New York Times as "a rare glimpse into tribal India", will be premiered on Friday in New York, its director Joseph Pulinthanath said.
The 95-minute Kokborok (Tripura's tribal language) film is also scheduled to be premiered at Stuttgart in Europe and at Brisbane in Australia in July besides being screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on Friday, he said.
"That a Kokborok film has been selected for overseas premiere at prestigious film events in the US, Europe and Australia is ample evidence that good cinema transcends the barriers of culture and language," Pulinthanath said.
'Yarwng', released here in September, focuses on the large-scale displacement of indigenous people in the 1970s when inhabitants of the fertile Raima valley in South Tripura were forcefully evicted to accommodate the Gumti hydel project.
"It is a matter of satisfaction that an issue of great importance to the people of the state will be highlighted in these three continents," the director said.
The film has already been to more than 20 International festivals within the country, including the IFFI in Goa. It also picked up a special jury mention award at the 7th Asian film festival in Mumbai.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200906111401.htm