The Hindu, 28 January, 2010
PTI
Share · print · T+ A feature film in Tripura’s tribal language, Kokbarak, - ‘Yarwng’ (Roots) has won the National Award for ‘Best Feature Film in languages other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution.
The 95-minute film which takes a poignant look at the displacement of thousands of indigenous people in Tripura because of the Gumti Hydel project, was released in September 2008.
It has been screened at over 40 international film festivals across the world, including New York, Stuttgart, Moscow, Brisbane, Dhaka and Taiwan.
“It is the first time that Tripura has won a national film award,” its Director Joseph Pulinthanath said on Thursday.
“It is a proud day for the Kokborok language and its speakers,” he said.
The award to ‘YARWNG’ was announced at the 56th National Film Awards by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ambika Soni, on January 23 in New Delhi.
Produced by Joseph Kizhakechennadu of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures the cast is made up mostly of indigenous people who were victims of displacement and had no experience whatsoever in acting.
Those with prior experience in the film field included well-known artistes of the State, Meena Debbarma and Amulya Ratan Jamatia.
http://www.smsfi.com/source/30839/feature-film-in-tripurarsquo;s-tribal-language-bags-national-award
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
TRIPURA'S 'YARWNG' GETS NATIONAL FILM AWARD
[1/26/2010]
CM Paul, cmpaul53@gmail.com
Agartala, 26, Jan 2010: Acclaimed Kokborok Feature film from Tripura Yarwng (Roots) has won National Award in the category of Best Feature Film in languages other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution. The 56th National Film Awards was announced by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ambika Soni, on 23rd January in New Delhi.
It is the first time the Northeast Indian state of Tripura wins a national film award.
Ever since its release in September 2008, the 95 minute long feature film in Kokborok has been screened at over 40 international film festival venues across the world, including New York, Stuttgart, Moscow, Brisbane, Dhaka and Taiwan.
It was the Opening Film of the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India 2008, held in Goa.
Yarwng also picked up a Special Jury Mention Award at the 7th Third Eye Asian Film Festival held in Mumbai, 2008.
Produced by Joseph Kizhakechennadu sdb of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures and directed by Joseph Pulinthanath sdb, the film takes a poignant look at the displacement of thousands of indigenous people in Tripura on account of the Gumti Hydel project.
The cast of Yarwng, which New York Times described as a rare glimpse into tribal India is made up mostly of indigenous people who are themselves victims of displacement and had no experience whatsoever in acting.
Those with prior experience in the film field include well-known artistes of the state - Meena Debbarma and Amulya Ratan Jamatia. The technical crew of Yarwng was from the south Indian city of Trivandrum.
The National Award comes as a shot in the arm not only for the nascent film industry in the state, but for the tribal communities and Kokborok language in particular.
Along with everyone else involved in the making of Yarwng, I feel happy that we have been able to get for Tripura and its people, its first National Film Award. I am hopeful we shall see more such awards in future, said Pulinthanath, the director of Yarwng. It is a proud day for Kokborok language and its speakers, he added.
The film was made with financial assistance from funding agencies of the Catholic Church Signis (Brussels), Missio (Germany) and the Salesian Congregation.
The President of India, Pratibha Patil would give away the National Film Awards in March 2010. END
(Article Viewed 209 times)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|| User Comment || Write Your Comment ||
".. Congratulation to the team of Yarwng,
Its really a great moment for kokborok speakers.
Fr PJ rocks .."
A Debbarma, adebbarma@tiprasa.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. --------------Great!
Polianthanath should be recognised as Borok of the Boroks or else at least should be given an award from borok society with some recognition....great job by the director and his team. .."
amon tripura, amon_tripura@hotmail.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. Congrats to Fr Pulinthanth, the producer Fr KJ Joseph and YARWNG crew.
They deserve state level recognition for securing the first ever national film award. .."
C.M. Paul, cmpaul53@gmail.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. A Big congratulations to pulithanath. But the missionaries in tripura sud not play double standardness with tripuris. If a missionaries at all want to uplift the indigenous boroks of tripura, they sud not only focus on converting people into christianity. wholehearted devotion sud be kept in mind for the welfare of tripuris.
Nowadays, missionaries are only interested in making names by building churches and to stay neutral they win the heart of the indigenous by making sensitve films. Certainly, i do appreciate the knowledge that pulithanath carried forward to the masses.
One thing he sud spread the reality through his camera not only to win awards. .."
rdbrma, rdbrma@tiprasa.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. u r right bro
nowadays i also feel the same
missionaries are really playing double std...
majority benefit is going to bongs .."
indo sekhar, indo_reang@yahoo.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. Remember they are missionaries, they have some mission.
You can't expect them to take care of all your needs, they are not here to take sides,
What they are doing is already too much we should be thankful to them rather criticize them.
Mr Indo you have seen only the negative aspect, no doubt they have, but their positive aspect are too large that the negative are hardly visible.
Can you imagine the Manik Sarkar Govt or any Govt, building schools in remote tripuri areas for tripuris, no doubt to build Schools they took the support of the church their one of the mission.
Any let me not further make it murkier and take this opportunity to thank the Director and entire team of yarwng for taking the Kokborok to a level where no one could do till now, .."
wansuk, wanuk18@gmail.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. Congration to the team of YARWNG...... .."
N Debbarma, nandujob@bhelhyd.co.in , 1/28/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. My Heartfelt Congratulations to the entire crew members and casts of "Yarwng"..
Excellent movie and script!
One suggestion to them:-
1.What if, a movie on the controversial Forest bill can be made!!
and about the Missionary thing.
Obviously..There's a english term called,
There's nothing called a Free Lunch in this world'! So Nothing comes for Free my dear!
.."
chokren, chokreng_borok@yahoo.co.in , 1/28/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. The tiprasa.com team should highlight issue on Human Rights violation. I appreciate all your coverage but I think there are instance of rights violation which are not put on the coverage. I think it will be good if you make it possible to get information on such issues so that the victim be compensated through legal means. I hope to receive response from the team. .."
swapan, swapandebbarma83@gmail.com , 2/3/2010
CM Paul, cmpaul53@gmail.com
Agartala, 26, Jan 2010: Acclaimed Kokborok Feature film from Tripura Yarwng (Roots) has won National Award in the category of Best Feature Film in languages other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution. The 56th National Film Awards was announced by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ambika Soni, on 23rd January in New Delhi.
It is the first time the Northeast Indian state of Tripura wins a national film award.
Ever since its release in September 2008, the 95 minute long feature film in Kokborok has been screened at over 40 international film festival venues across the world, including New York, Stuttgart, Moscow, Brisbane, Dhaka and Taiwan.
It was the Opening Film of the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India 2008, held in Goa.
Yarwng also picked up a Special Jury Mention Award at the 7th Third Eye Asian Film Festival held in Mumbai, 2008.
Produced by Joseph Kizhakechennadu sdb of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures and directed by Joseph Pulinthanath sdb, the film takes a poignant look at the displacement of thousands of indigenous people in Tripura on account of the Gumti Hydel project.
The cast of Yarwng, which New York Times described as a rare glimpse into tribal India is made up mostly of indigenous people who are themselves victims of displacement and had no experience whatsoever in acting.
Those with prior experience in the film field include well-known artistes of the state - Meena Debbarma and Amulya Ratan Jamatia. The technical crew of Yarwng was from the south Indian city of Trivandrum.
The National Award comes as a shot in the arm not only for the nascent film industry in the state, but for the tribal communities and Kokborok language in particular.
Along with everyone else involved in the making of Yarwng, I feel happy that we have been able to get for Tripura and its people, its first National Film Award. I am hopeful we shall see more such awards in future, said Pulinthanath, the director of Yarwng. It is a proud day for Kokborok language and its speakers, he added.
The film was made with financial assistance from funding agencies of the Catholic Church Signis (Brussels), Missio (Germany) and the Salesian Congregation.
The President of India, Pratibha Patil would give away the National Film Awards in March 2010. END
(Article Viewed 209 times)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|| User Comment || Write Your Comment ||
".. Congratulation to the team of Yarwng,
Its really a great moment for kokborok speakers.
Fr PJ rocks .."
A Debbarma, adebbarma@tiprasa.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. --------------Great!
Polianthanath should be recognised as Borok of the Boroks or else at least should be given an award from borok society with some recognition....great job by the director and his team. .."
amon tripura, amon_tripura@hotmail.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. Congrats to Fr Pulinthanth, the producer Fr KJ Joseph and YARWNG crew.
They deserve state level recognition for securing the first ever national film award. .."
C.M. Paul, cmpaul53@gmail.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. A Big congratulations to pulithanath. But the missionaries in tripura sud not play double standardness with tripuris. If a missionaries at all want to uplift the indigenous boroks of tripura, they sud not only focus on converting people into christianity. wholehearted devotion sud be kept in mind for the welfare of tripuris.
Nowadays, missionaries are only interested in making names by building churches and to stay neutral they win the heart of the indigenous by making sensitve films. Certainly, i do appreciate the knowledge that pulithanath carried forward to the masses.
One thing he sud spread the reality through his camera not only to win awards. .."
rdbrma, rdbrma@tiprasa.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. u r right bro
nowadays i also feel the same
missionaries are really playing double std...
majority benefit is going to bongs .."
indo sekhar, indo_reang@yahoo.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. Remember they are missionaries, they have some mission.
You can't expect them to take care of all your needs, they are not here to take sides,
What they are doing is already too much we should be thankful to them rather criticize them.
Mr Indo you have seen only the negative aspect, no doubt they have, but their positive aspect are too large that the negative are hardly visible.
Can you imagine the Manik Sarkar Govt or any Govt, building schools in remote tripuri areas for tripuris, no doubt to build Schools they took the support of the church their one of the mission.
Any let me not further make it murkier and take this opportunity to thank the Director and entire team of yarwng for taking the Kokborok to a level where no one could do till now, .."
wansuk, wanuk18@gmail.com , 1/27/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. Congration to the team of YARWNG...... .."
N Debbarma, nandujob@bhelhyd.co.in , 1/28/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. My Heartfelt Congratulations to the entire crew members and casts of "Yarwng"..
Excellent movie and script!
One suggestion to them:-
1.What if, a movie on the controversial Forest bill can be made!!
and about the Missionary thing.
Obviously..There's a english term called,
There's nothing called a Free Lunch in this world'! So Nothing comes for Free my dear!
.."
chokren, chokreng_borok@yahoo.co.in , 1/28/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
".. The tiprasa.com team should highlight issue on Human Rights violation. I appreciate all your coverage but I think there are instance of rights violation which are not put on the coverage. I think it will be good if you make it possible to get information on such issues so that the victim be compensated through legal means. I hope to receive response from the team. .."
swapan, swapandebbarma83@gmail.com , 2/3/2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Salesian’s film wins national award
Published Date: January 27, 2010
It was the Opening Film of the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India 2008, held in Goa.
A feature film directed by Salesian Father Joseph Pulinthanath has won Tripura state’s first national film award.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni announced the film awards on Jan. 23 in New Delhi.
Father Pulinthanath’s “Yarwng” (roots) in Kokborok language was selected as the best feature film in the category of languages not officially recognized in India.
It is the first national film award for the northeastern state.
Indian President Pratibha Patil will present the awards in March.
Produced by Salesian Father Joseph Kizhakechennadu of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures and directed by Father Pulinthanath, the Tripura film speaks about the displacement of thousands of indigenous people in the state due to the Gumti Hydel hydro-electric project.
Glimpse into tribal India
The cast of “Yarwng,” which the “New York Times” described as a “rare glimpse into tribal India,” is mostly indigenous people who were displaced by the dam project. They had no previous acting experience.
The award has made Kokborok language and its speakers proud, an elated Father Pulinthanath told UCA News.
“Along with everyone else involved in the making of ‘Yarwng,’ I feel happy that we have been able to get for Tripura and its people its first national film award,” he added.
The priest said he hopes to see “more such awards” for the film in future.
Father Pulinthanath says the award would boost not only the nascent film industry in Tripura, but also tribal communities and the Kokborok language.
The film was made with funds from Catholic aid agencies including Signis (Brussels), Missio (Germany) and the Salesian congregation.
Father Pulinthanath released the 95-minute film in September 2008 and since then it has been screened at more than 40 international film festival venues, including New York, Stuttgart, Moscow, Brisbane, Dhaka and Taiwan.
It was the opening film of the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India 2008, held in Goa.
“Yarwng” also picked up a Special Jury Mention Award at the seventh Third Eye Asian Film Festival held in Mumbai in 2008.
Source: Salesian’s film wins national award (UCAN)
http://www.religiousindia.org/2010/01/27/salesian%E2%80%99s-film-wins-national-award/
It was the Opening Film of the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India 2008, held in Goa.
A feature film directed by Salesian Father Joseph Pulinthanath has won Tripura state’s first national film award.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni announced the film awards on Jan. 23 in New Delhi.
Father Pulinthanath’s “Yarwng” (roots) in Kokborok language was selected as the best feature film in the category of languages not officially recognized in India.
It is the first national film award for the northeastern state.
Indian President Pratibha Patil will present the awards in March.
Produced by Salesian Father Joseph Kizhakechennadu of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures and directed by Father Pulinthanath, the Tripura film speaks about the displacement of thousands of indigenous people in the state due to the Gumti Hydel hydro-electric project.
Glimpse into tribal India
The cast of “Yarwng,” which the “New York Times” described as a “rare glimpse into tribal India,” is mostly indigenous people who were displaced by the dam project. They had no previous acting experience.
The award has made Kokborok language and its speakers proud, an elated Father Pulinthanath told UCA News.
“Along with everyone else involved in the making of ‘Yarwng,’ I feel happy that we have been able to get for Tripura and its people its first national film award,” he added.
The priest said he hopes to see “more such awards” for the film in future.
Father Pulinthanath says the award would boost not only the nascent film industry in Tripura, but also tribal communities and the Kokborok language.
The film was made with funds from Catholic aid agencies including Signis (Brussels), Missio (Germany) and the Salesian congregation.
Father Pulinthanath released the 95-minute film in September 2008 and since then it has been screened at more than 40 international film festival venues, including New York, Stuttgart, Moscow, Brisbane, Dhaka and Taiwan.
It was the opening film of the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India 2008, held in Goa.
“Yarwng” also picked up a Special Jury Mention Award at the seventh Third Eye Asian Film Festival held in Mumbai in 2008.
Source: Salesian’s film wins national award (UCAN)
http://www.religiousindia.org/2010/01/27/salesian%E2%80%99s-film-wins-national-award/
"Yarwng", a Salesian Priest’s Award Winning Film: Peter Malone
Brisbane, December 1, 2009 (Peter Malone) - Yarwng, (Roots), the award-winning Kokborok film from Tripura in Northeast India was the subject of an emotionally charged discussion at Brisbane’s Regent Theatre during the 18th Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) in Australia.
"Yarwng" has a relevance for indigenous people all over the world
Each of the two BIFF screenings of the film - at the Regent Theatre and at the Gallery of Modern Art, were followed by brief interactive sessions with the director of the film, Fr. Joseph Pulinthanath SDB who was invited to the festival as a member of the Interfaith Jury.
A volley of questions was put to the director by the audience that comprised mainly of Australians. The questions ranged from the socio-economic scenario of the people depicted in the film to details of filmmaking in the Kokborok language. The Regent session turned quite dramatic and poignant when one of the viewers broke down with emotion while speaking about the trauma that displaced people undergo. He asked to be excused confessing that seeing the film was an emotionally taxing experience for him.
Among those who attended the screening of the Kokborok film was the Executive Director of the Australia-India Council, Heather Neate. Calling Yarwng “a lovely film” she thanked the director for coming over to Brisbane to tell the story of the displaced people.
The Kokborok film from India formed part of the ‘Colourise BIFF’ indigenous section of the festival along with films from Mexico, New Zealand and Brazil. Christine Peacock, the director of the ‘Colourise BIFF’ category lauded the involvement of the community in the making of Yarwng (Roots) and pointed out its relevance for indigenous people all over the world.
Anne Demy Geroe, the Festival Director of BIFF, called the film from Northeast India, "an attractive example of filmmaking as a communication medium adapted to suit the cultural, social and political needs of society".
The 95-minute film is a fictionalized account of the thousands of indigenous people that were displaced when the Dumbur dam in Tripura was constructed and a hydel project set up there in the late 70s. The film is financed by Signis, Missio and the Salesian society.
Besides Queensland’s premier city Brisbane, other international venues that screened the Kokborok Yarwng (Roots) include Stuttgart, Moscow and New York.
http://www.signis.net/article.php3?id_article=3696
"Yarwng" has a relevance for indigenous people all over the world
Each of the two BIFF screenings of the film - at the Regent Theatre and at the Gallery of Modern Art, were followed by brief interactive sessions with the director of the film, Fr. Joseph Pulinthanath SDB who was invited to the festival as a member of the Interfaith Jury.
A volley of questions was put to the director by the audience that comprised mainly of Australians. The questions ranged from the socio-economic scenario of the people depicted in the film to details of filmmaking in the Kokborok language. The Regent session turned quite dramatic and poignant when one of the viewers broke down with emotion while speaking about the trauma that displaced people undergo. He asked to be excused confessing that seeing the film was an emotionally taxing experience for him.
Among those who attended the screening of the Kokborok film was the Executive Director of the Australia-India Council, Heather Neate. Calling Yarwng “a lovely film” she thanked the director for coming over to Brisbane to tell the story of the displaced people.
The Kokborok film from India formed part of the ‘Colourise BIFF’ indigenous section of the festival along with films from Mexico, New Zealand and Brazil. Christine Peacock, the director of the ‘Colourise BIFF’ category lauded the involvement of the community in the making of Yarwng (Roots) and pointed out its relevance for indigenous people all over the world.
Anne Demy Geroe, the Festival Director of BIFF, called the film from Northeast India, "an attractive example of filmmaking as a communication medium adapted to suit the cultural, social and political needs of society".
The 95-minute film is a fictionalized account of the thousands of indigenous people that were displaced when the Dumbur dam in Tripura was constructed and a hydel project set up there in the late 70s. The film is financed by Signis, Missio and the Salesian society.
Besides Queensland’s premier city Brisbane, other international venues that screened the Kokborok Yarwng (Roots) include Stuttgart, Moscow and New York.
http://www.signis.net/article.php3?id_article=3696
Vatican Radio: Tripura’s ‘Yarwng’ gets national Film Award
27/01/2010 12.48.17
(January 27, 2010) An acclaimed feature film in local language made by the Salesians of Don Bosco in the northeastern Indian state of Tripura has won a national award in the category of ‘Best Feature Film in languages other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution’. The film titled ‘Yarwng’, or ‘roots’ in Kokborok language is among the 56th National Film Awards that was announced by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ambika Soni, on 23rd January in New Delhi. It is the first time the Northeast Indian state of Tripura wins a national film award. Ever since its release in September 2008, the 95 minute long feature film has been screened at over 40 international film festival venues across the world, including New York, Stuttgart, Moscow, Brisbane, Dhaka and Taiwan. Produced and directed by Salesian priests Joseph Kizhakechennadu and Joseph Pulinthanath, respectively, of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures, the film takes a significant look at the displacement of thousands of indigenous people in Tripura on account of the Gumti Hydel project. The cast of ‘Yarwng’, which New York Times described as a ‘rare glimpse into tribal India’ is made up mostly of indigenous people who are themselves victims of displacement and had no experience whatsoever in acting. The President of India, Pratibha Patil will give away the National Film Awards in March 2010.
http://www.vaticanradio.org/in2/Articolo.asp?c=352410
(January 27, 2010) An acclaimed feature film in local language made by the Salesians of Don Bosco in the northeastern Indian state of Tripura has won a national award in the category of ‘Best Feature Film in languages other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution’. The film titled ‘Yarwng’, or ‘roots’ in Kokborok language is among the 56th National Film Awards that was announced by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ambika Soni, on 23rd January in New Delhi. It is the first time the Northeast Indian state of Tripura wins a national film award. Ever since its release in September 2008, the 95 minute long feature film has been screened at over 40 international film festival venues across the world, including New York, Stuttgart, Moscow, Brisbane, Dhaka and Taiwan. Produced and directed by Salesian priests Joseph Kizhakechennadu and Joseph Pulinthanath, respectively, of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures, the film takes a significant look at the displacement of thousands of indigenous people in Tripura on account of the Gumti Hydel project. The cast of ‘Yarwng’, which New York Times described as a ‘rare glimpse into tribal India’ is made up mostly of indigenous people who are themselves victims of displacement and had no experience whatsoever in acting. The President of India, Pratibha Patil will give away the National Film Awards in March 2010.
http://www.vaticanradio.org/in2/Articolo.asp?c=352410
INDIA - Salesian’s film wins national award
Published Date: January 27, 2010
AGARTALA, India (UCAN) – A feature film directed by Salesian Father Joseph Pulinthanath has won Tripura state’s first national film award.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni announced the film awards on Jan. 23 in New Delhi.
Father Pulinthanath’s “Yarwng” (roots) in Kokborok language was selected as the best feature film in the category of languages not officially recognized in India.
It is the first national film award for the northeastern state.
Indian President Pratibha Patil will present the awards in March.
Produced by Salesian Father Joseph Kizhakechennadu of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures and directed by Father Pulinthanath, the Tripura film speaks about the displacement of thousands of indigenous people in the state due to the Gumti Hydel hydro-electric project.
Glimpse into tribal India
The cast of “Yarwng,” which the “New York Times” described as a “rare glimpse into tribal India,” is mostly indigenous people who were displaced by the dam project. They had no previous acting experience.
The award has made Kokborok language and its speakers proud, an elated Father Pulinthanath told UCA News.
“Along with everyone else involved in the making of ‘Yarwng,’ I feel happy that we have been able to get for Tripura and its people its first national film award,” he added.
The priest said he hopes to see “more such awards” for the film in future.
Father Pulinthanath says the award would boost not only the nascent film industry in Tripura, but also tribal communities and the Kokborok language.
The film was made with funds from Catholic aid agencies including Signis (Brussels), Missio (Germany) and the Salesian congregation.
Father Pulinthanath released the 95-minute film in September 2008 and since then it has been screened at more than 40 international film festival venues, including New York, Stuttgart, Moscow, Brisbane, Dhaka and Taiwan.
It was the opening film of the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India 2008, held in Goa.
“Yarwng” also picked up a Special Jury Mention Award at the seventh Third Eye Asian Film Festival held in Mumbai in 2008.
IE08649/1586 January 27, 2010 36 EM-lines (342 words)
AGARTALA, India (UCAN) – A feature film directed by Salesian Father Joseph Pulinthanath has won Tripura state’s first national film award.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni announced the film awards on Jan. 23 in New Delhi.
Father Pulinthanath’s “Yarwng” (roots) in Kokborok language was selected as the best feature film in the category of languages not officially recognized in India.
It is the first national film award for the northeastern state.
Indian President Pratibha Patil will present the awards in March.
Produced by Salesian Father Joseph Kizhakechennadu of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures and directed by Father Pulinthanath, the Tripura film speaks about the displacement of thousands of indigenous people in the state due to the Gumti Hydel hydro-electric project.
Glimpse into tribal India
The cast of “Yarwng,” which the “New York Times” described as a “rare glimpse into tribal India,” is mostly indigenous people who were displaced by the dam project. They had no previous acting experience.
The award has made Kokborok language and its speakers proud, an elated Father Pulinthanath told UCA News.
“Along with everyone else involved in the making of ‘Yarwng,’ I feel happy that we have been able to get for Tripura and its people its first national film award,” he added.
The priest said he hopes to see “more such awards” for the film in future.
Father Pulinthanath says the award would boost not only the nascent film industry in Tripura, but also tribal communities and the Kokborok language.
The film was made with funds from Catholic aid agencies including Signis (Brussels), Missio (Germany) and the Salesian congregation.
Father Pulinthanath released the 95-minute film in September 2008 and since then it has been screened at more than 40 international film festival venues, including New York, Stuttgart, Moscow, Brisbane, Dhaka and Taiwan.
It was the opening film of the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India 2008, held in Goa.
“Yarwng” also picked up a Special Jury Mention Award at the seventh Third Eye Asian Film Festival held in Mumbai in 2008.
IE08649/1586 January 27, 2010 36 EM-lines (342 words)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Strong Malayali crew in award-winning film
Express News ServiceFirst Published : 24 Jan 2010 10:11:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 24 Jan 2010 01:46:14 PM IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While busy analysing why Malayalam films missed out on the big awards in the National Film Award category, a group of Malayalis are wondering why they are not being counted - the crew of the Kokborok film `Yarwng’ which won the national honour (award for the best film in each of the language not included in Schedule VIII of the Constitution). In addition to its director Fr Joseph Pulinthanath, `Yarwng’, which means `roots’, has a bunch of Malayalis associated with it - cameraman Kannan, sound recordist Krishna Kumar, associate cameraman Shaji Pattanam, Krishnan Unni who does sound mixing, editor Sasi Menon and Mahesh Narayanan, associate director Sajiv Pazhoor and producer Fr K Joseph.
“It is a big honour. We all are very happy about it,’’ Fr Joseph Pulinthanath, a Malayali priest now settled in Assam. The Kokborok tribe in Tripura has been neglected for long and the film gave a new identity, an unprecedented one, for the tribe and the language. The 60-member crew braved several odds to make the film happening, the second one from the director in the language, the first being `Mathia’. ‘Yarwng’ is the second feature film of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures Tripura.
The story of the 95-minute feature film revolves round the large-scale displacement which happened in Tripura when the newly-built Dumbur dam submerged huge areas of arable land in the fertile Raima valley about 30 years ago. The lead actors of Yarwng are Meena Debbarma, Nirmal Jamatia and Sushil Debbarma.
The film is about the romance between Karmati and Wakhiri. On the eve of their marriage, the dam submerges the entire village and separates them. ‘Yarwng’ was shot on actual locations like Bolongbasa and adjoining areas and many of the people who act in the film are real life victims of displacement.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?title=Strong%20Malayali%20crew%20in%20award-winning%20film&artid=4kHd8FjvNRE=&type=
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While busy analysing why Malayalam films missed out on the big awards in the National Film Award category, a group of Malayalis are wondering why they are not being counted - the crew of the Kokborok film `Yarwng’ which won the national honour (award for the best film in each of the language not included in Schedule VIII of the Constitution). In addition to its director Fr Joseph Pulinthanath, `Yarwng’, which means `roots’, has a bunch of Malayalis associated with it - cameraman Kannan, sound recordist Krishna Kumar, associate cameraman Shaji Pattanam, Krishnan Unni who does sound mixing, editor Sasi Menon and Mahesh Narayanan, associate director Sajiv Pazhoor and producer Fr K Joseph.
“It is a big honour. We all are very happy about it,’’ Fr Joseph Pulinthanath, a Malayali priest now settled in Assam. The Kokborok tribe in Tripura has been neglected for long and the film gave a new identity, an unprecedented one, for the tribe and the language. The 60-member crew braved several odds to make the film happening, the second one from the director in the language, the first being `Mathia’. ‘Yarwng’ is the second feature film of Don Bosco Sampari Pictures Tripura.
The story of the 95-minute feature film revolves round the large-scale displacement which happened in Tripura when the newly-built Dumbur dam submerged huge areas of arable land in the fertile Raima valley about 30 years ago. The lead actors of Yarwng are Meena Debbarma, Nirmal Jamatia and Sushil Debbarma.
The film is about the romance between Karmati and Wakhiri. On the eve of their marriage, the dam submerges the entire village and separates them. ‘Yarwng’ was shot on actual locations like Bolongbasa and adjoining areas and many of the people who act in the film are real life victims of displacement.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?title=Strong%20Malayali%20crew%20in%20award-winning%20film&artid=4kHd8FjvNRE=&type=
Bollywood returns to Russian screens
September, 10 2009
Oxana Naralenkova, RIR
Cinema: Indian films remain popular in post-Soviet times
Indian films are returning to Russian cinemas. As part of the Year of India in Russia, a series of major film events are including Indian film festivals. The exhibition “The History of Indian Cinema (Bollywood)” will also take place in various Russian cities.
The first screenings took place at the 31st Moscow International Film Festival. An Indian week was also part of the 14th St Petersburg International Film Festival in June.
Films included the drama Yarwng, shot in the indigenous Kokborok tribal language by Catholic priest Father Joseph Pulinthanath; the first film directed by Bollywood star Aamir Khan, Like Stars On Earth, which was India's official entry to The Oscars; Four Chapters from young Calcuttan director Suman Mukhopadhyay; Priyadarshan’s The Wedding Sari; Indian James Bond; and Fashion from leading Indian director Madhur Bhandarkar.
In addition, retrospective screenings were held of films by the famous Indian director Shyam Benegal, member of the jury at the 31st Moscow International Film Festival.
The Russian passion for Indian films, born in the USSR, continues to grow in the modern day.
It was in the 1950s that Soviet moviegoers first discovered “the distant India of miracles”.
When Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Soviet Union in 1955, his photograph was everywhere – in shop windows, on streets and at intersections. Thousands of people lined up for tickets to be the first to see Indian films and the striking, colourful performances of Indian dancers and musicians. Indian actor Raj Kapoor, who came to Moscow around the same time, left the Soviet people literally besotted. According to eyewitnesses, Kapoor’s shiny ZIS (the grand-style Soviet automobile meant to ferry the actor back to his hotel), which was parked outside the Udarnik movie theatre, never left the curb. The crowd simply picked the car up (with Kapoor in it) and carried it off.
Then came the Indian saga about twin sisters, Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), a marvelous reminiscence of distant childhood. Children in Moscow courtyards tried to repeat the circus tricks of the brave heroine, Hema Malini. They copied her tightrope act and her daring manner of behaviour and speech. Indian cinema fans here still remember how one of the twins taught her wicked aunt a lesson. Songs from Indian movies were especially popular in the Soviet Union in the 1980s. The fashion for disco dancing forced young Russians to view Indian cinema differently after the appearance of Disco Dancer (1982). The rags-to-riches story of an ordinary young Indian boy who manages to become a famous singer once again staggered the imagination of Soviet moviegoers. Mithun Chakraborty, the film’s star, replaced Raj Kapoor in the eyes of the new generation. Disco Dancer earned close to 60 mn roubles at a time when movie tickets cost 20-50 kopecks. The dance halls at Soviet summer resorts in the ‘80s resounded with the sounds of “I Am a Disco Dancer”. Some fanatics were capable of requesting the song ten times over.
After 1979, the year of the joint Soviet-Indian film The Adventures of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, new Indian films began to be distributed in the USSR every month – this at a time when the number of movies imported from capitalist countries did not exceed 40 per year.
Who of the newest generation of Indian actors is loved in Russia today? The answer would probably be the strikingly beautiful Aishwarya Rai (“rai” in Russian means “paradise”). Even her last name sounds magical to the Russian ear, paradise being “a place of eternal bliss for the souls of the righteous”. True, Miss Rai is best known to Russians, as with residents of other countries, for her work in Hollywood films. Bride and Prejudice (2004), Mistress of Spices (2005) and The Last Legion (2007) are the films featuring Rai shown most often on Russian television. Meanwhile, Russia continues to love Indian cinema classics from the 1960s and 1970s.
These are the films most talked about on Internet forums, where fans lovingly collect photographs and stories of their idols. They constitute a retrospective of Indian cinema that is regularly shown on Russian television, especially the Domashny channel, which is aimed at women and promotes family values. For Russian fans of Indian films, there is even a special satellite channel called India TV. Russia’s love of Indian films has now spilled over into a mass passion for Indian dance. Every self-respecting sports club in Moscow teaches yoga and the art of Indian dance. Russian girls array themselves in saris for these lessons, which are more popular even than traditional European fitness classes.
http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/09/10/100909_bollywood.html
Oxana Naralenkova, RIR
Cinema: Indian films remain popular in post-Soviet times
Indian films are returning to Russian cinemas. As part of the Year of India in Russia, a series of major film events are including Indian film festivals. The exhibition “The History of Indian Cinema (Bollywood)” will also take place in various Russian cities.
The first screenings took place at the 31st Moscow International Film Festival. An Indian week was also part of the 14th St Petersburg International Film Festival in June.
Films included the drama Yarwng, shot in the indigenous Kokborok tribal language by Catholic priest Father Joseph Pulinthanath; the first film directed by Bollywood star Aamir Khan, Like Stars On Earth, which was India's official entry to The Oscars; Four Chapters from young Calcuttan director Suman Mukhopadhyay; Priyadarshan’s The Wedding Sari; Indian James Bond; and Fashion from leading Indian director Madhur Bhandarkar.
In addition, retrospective screenings were held of films by the famous Indian director Shyam Benegal, member of the jury at the 31st Moscow International Film Festival.
The Russian passion for Indian films, born in the USSR, continues to grow in the modern day.
It was in the 1950s that Soviet moviegoers first discovered “the distant India of miracles”.
When Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Soviet Union in 1955, his photograph was everywhere – in shop windows, on streets and at intersections. Thousands of people lined up for tickets to be the first to see Indian films and the striking, colourful performances of Indian dancers and musicians. Indian actor Raj Kapoor, who came to Moscow around the same time, left the Soviet people literally besotted. According to eyewitnesses, Kapoor’s shiny ZIS (the grand-style Soviet automobile meant to ferry the actor back to his hotel), which was parked outside the Udarnik movie theatre, never left the curb. The crowd simply picked the car up (with Kapoor in it) and carried it off.
Then came the Indian saga about twin sisters, Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), a marvelous reminiscence of distant childhood. Children in Moscow courtyards tried to repeat the circus tricks of the brave heroine, Hema Malini. They copied her tightrope act and her daring manner of behaviour and speech. Indian cinema fans here still remember how one of the twins taught her wicked aunt a lesson. Songs from Indian movies were especially popular in the Soviet Union in the 1980s. The fashion for disco dancing forced young Russians to view Indian cinema differently after the appearance of Disco Dancer (1982). The rags-to-riches story of an ordinary young Indian boy who manages to become a famous singer once again staggered the imagination of Soviet moviegoers. Mithun Chakraborty, the film’s star, replaced Raj Kapoor in the eyes of the new generation. Disco Dancer earned close to 60 mn roubles at a time when movie tickets cost 20-50 kopecks. The dance halls at Soviet summer resorts in the ‘80s resounded with the sounds of “I Am a Disco Dancer”. Some fanatics were capable of requesting the song ten times over.
After 1979, the year of the joint Soviet-Indian film The Adventures of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, new Indian films began to be distributed in the USSR every month – this at a time when the number of movies imported from capitalist countries did not exceed 40 per year.
Who of the newest generation of Indian actors is loved in Russia today? The answer would probably be the strikingly beautiful Aishwarya Rai (“rai” in Russian means “paradise”). Even her last name sounds magical to the Russian ear, paradise being “a place of eternal bliss for the souls of the righteous”. True, Miss Rai is best known to Russians, as with residents of other countries, for her work in Hollywood films. Bride and Prejudice (2004), Mistress of Spices (2005) and The Last Legion (2007) are the films featuring Rai shown most often on Russian television. Meanwhile, Russia continues to love Indian cinema classics from the 1960s and 1970s.
These are the films most talked about on Internet forums, where fans lovingly collect photographs and stories of their idols. They constitute a retrospective of Indian cinema that is regularly shown on Russian television, especially the Domashny channel, which is aimed at women and promotes family values. For Russian fans of Indian films, there is even a special satellite channel called India TV. Russia’s love of Indian films has now spilled over into a mass passion for Indian dance. Every self-respecting sports club in Moscow teaches yoga and the art of Indian dance. Russian girls array themselves in saris for these lessons, which are more popular even than traditional European fitness classes.
http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/09/10/100909_bollywood.html
Buddhadev opens national film fete
Kozhikode, Aug 4 : Eminent Director Buddhadev Dasgupta inaugurated the sixth edition of the National Film Festival of Kerala (NFFK) here.
Besides inaugural Bengali film ''Ami, YasinAr Amar Madhubala/The Voyeurs,'' by eminent diector Buddhadev Dasgupta, altogether 16 films would be screened in the three-day event to be held in three categories -- Malayalam Cinema, NFDC section and Indian Cinema.
Some of them were ''Mirch Masala'' by Ketan Mehta, ''Kanchivaram'' by Priyadarsan, "Yarwng Roots" by Joseph Pulinthanath sdb, ''Ganashatru'' (Public Enemy) by Satyajit Ray, ''Vilapangalkkappuram'' by T V Chandran, ''Bara Aana'' by Raja Menon, ''Mammoo'' by Shyam Bengal, Bioscope by K M Madhusudhanan and ''Firaq'' by Nandida Das.
The programme inaugorated yesterday evening was being organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
--UNI
http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-85606.html
Besides inaugural Bengali film ''Ami, YasinAr Amar Madhubala/The Voyeurs,'' by eminent diector Buddhadev Dasgupta, altogether 16 films would be screened in the three-day event to be held in three categories -- Malayalam Cinema, NFDC section and Indian Cinema.
Some of them were ''Mirch Masala'' by Ketan Mehta, ''Kanchivaram'' by Priyadarsan, "Yarwng Roots" by Joseph Pulinthanath sdb, ''Ganashatru'' (Public Enemy) by Satyajit Ray, ''Vilapangalkkappuram'' by T V Chandran, ''Bara Aana'' by Raja Menon, ''Mammoo'' by Shyam Bengal, Bioscope by K M Madhusudhanan and ''Firaq'' by Nandida Das.
The programme inaugorated yesterday evening was being organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
--UNI
http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-85606.html
From berets to Balibo: Brisbane’s feast of film
REVIEW, AUSTRALIA
Preview by Paul Benedek
26 July 2009
(Extract)
In the year of the brilliant Samson and Delilah, BIFF will bring a stream of films by or about Indigenous people, called Colourise films.
These include The Inheritors, which documents rural Mexico, capturing the dignity and humanity of people in the face of incredible exploitation. Both Roots and Birdwatchers tell a universal story of displacement from land and culture.
In the case of Roots, people are uprooted by the construction of the Dumbur Dam in India, which submerged huge areas of fertile land.
In Birdwatchers, a once proud Indigenous community in Brazil is broken up and forced to live on small allotments amid cattle ranches. Filmmakers and thinkers will discuss the issues of these films at the Colourise BIFF seminar.
BIFF promises to be ten days of intense, rewarding film experiences — see you in the theatres.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/804/41356
Preview by Paul Benedek
26 July 2009
(Extract)
In the year of the brilliant Samson and Delilah, BIFF will bring a stream of films by or about Indigenous people, called Colourise films.
These include The Inheritors, which documents rural Mexico, capturing the dignity and humanity of people in the face of incredible exploitation. Both Roots and Birdwatchers tell a universal story of displacement from land and culture.
In the case of Roots, people are uprooted by the construction of the Dumbur Dam in India, which submerged huge areas of fertile land.
In Birdwatchers, a once proud Indigenous community in Brazil is broken up and forced to live on small allotments amid cattle ranches. Filmmakers and thinkers will discuss the issues of these films at the Colourise BIFF seminar.
BIFF promises to be ten days of intense, rewarding film experiences — see you in the theatres.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/804/41356
Yarwng at Moscow International Film Festival 19.06. - 28.06.2009
Contemporary Indian Cinema
Yuri Korchagov
Indian cinema is getting back on the program of the Moscow International Film Festival. Hopefully this is not episodic (in Russia 2009 has been proclaimed the Year of India). It is common knowledge that India holds the first place in the world in the number of films produced and the second (after China) in population. Though Indian movies do not always live up to the expectations of foreign and – let us be honest – home viewers, yet out of the general subcultural output (about 1 thousand 1 hundred movies a year bring in 2 billion dollars) one can always pick certain movies which are unusual in content and form and which do not comply with the familiar general idea of present-day Indian cinema. One example is the low-budget drama “Yarwng/Roots” shot by a Catholic priest father Joseph Pulinthanath in the language of the Kokborok tribe. It is on our program of modern Indian cinema.
Next to it are the well-known films which have received wide acclaim not only in India, but worldwide. Directorial debut of the number one star of Indian cinema Aamir Khan “Taare Zameen Par/Stars On Earth” is just one example. In Russia Aamir, who debuted in 1988 in a very successful movie “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak”, is a well known actor. Movie stars do not always make good directors but Aamir outdid himself. His movie “Taare Zameen Par” where he is an actor, director and producer was nominated for the 2007 “Oscar”, was successfully screened in many countries of the world, and won many prizes at international festivals.
Traditionally powerful dramatic storylines are represented by “Chaturanga/Four Chapters” and “Kanchivaram/A Communist Confession”. The young director from Calcutta Suman Mukhopadhyay painstakingly recreates the almost 100-year-old novel “Four Chapters” by the Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore (whose works were brought to the screen several times turned by such Bengali directors as Satyajit Ray and Tapan Sinha). S. Priyadarshan from Madras (currently Chennai) is well-known to the Indian and Russian audience. Some of his films shot in Hindi were shown on TV and were released on video. The director shot “Kanchivaram” in his native Tamil language. Through the prism of time (the action is set in colonial India) Priyadarshan looks at the life and customs of Indian weavers, whose homemade sari are unparalleled in the world.
Program of contemporary Indian cinema would be incomplete without the Indian entertaining box-office cinema. The director K.Vishnuvardhan started his cinematic career as an actor, worked as an assistant to leading Indian directors Santosh Sivan, Mani Ratnam and Ramgopal Varma. His well-made thriller “Billa” (2007) released in Tamil by Madras studio (currently Chennai) was shot in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). It is a remake of “Don” movie (2006, director Farhan Akhtar) made in Bollywood in 2006.
Film “Fashion” of the leading Indian director Madhur Bhandarkar is being screened in the opening of the Contemporary Indian Cinema. Directors of other countries have also shown their interest in the magic of the fashion business. For example, film “Gloss” (director Andrey Konchalovsky) was released in Russia. His view of the world of fashion as a sticky spider web from which one cannot escape without losing one’s self-respect to a large extent is similar to the views of Madhur Bhandarkar. His supermodels either leave this world forever or become soulless dolls.
http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/eng/31/program/3114/about/
Yuri Korchagov
Indian cinema is getting back on the program of the Moscow International Film Festival. Hopefully this is not episodic (in Russia 2009 has been proclaimed the Year of India). It is common knowledge that India holds the first place in the world in the number of films produced and the second (after China) in population. Though Indian movies do not always live up to the expectations of foreign and – let us be honest – home viewers, yet out of the general subcultural output (about 1 thousand 1 hundred movies a year bring in 2 billion dollars) one can always pick certain movies which are unusual in content and form and which do not comply with the familiar general idea of present-day Indian cinema. One example is the low-budget drama “Yarwng/Roots” shot by a Catholic priest father Joseph Pulinthanath in the language of the Kokborok tribe. It is on our program of modern Indian cinema.
Next to it are the well-known films which have received wide acclaim not only in India, but worldwide. Directorial debut of the number one star of Indian cinema Aamir Khan “Taare Zameen Par/Stars On Earth” is just one example. In Russia Aamir, who debuted in 1988 in a very successful movie “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak”, is a well known actor. Movie stars do not always make good directors but Aamir outdid himself. His movie “Taare Zameen Par” where he is an actor, director and producer was nominated for the 2007 “Oscar”, was successfully screened in many countries of the world, and won many prizes at international festivals.
Traditionally powerful dramatic storylines are represented by “Chaturanga/Four Chapters” and “Kanchivaram/A Communist Confession”. The young director from Calcutta Suman Mukhopadhyay painstakingly recreates the almost 100-year-old novel “Four Chapters” by the Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore (whose works were brought to the screen several times turned by such Bengali directors as Satyajit Ray and Tapan Sinha). S. Priyadarshan from Madras (currently Chennai) is well-known to the Indian and Russian audience. Some of his films shot in Hindi were shown on TV and were released on video. The director shot “Kanchivaram” in his native Tamil language. Through the prism of time (the action is set in colonial India) Priyadarshan looks at the life and customs of Indian weavers, whose homemade sari are unparalleled in the world.
Program of contemporary Indian cinema would be incomplete without the Indian entertaining box-office cinema. The director K.Vishnuvardhan started his cinematic career as an actor, worked as an assistant to leading Indian directors Santosh Sivan, Mani Ratnam and Ramgopal Varma. His well-made thriller “Billa” (2007) released in Tamil by Madras studio (currently Chennai) was shot in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). It is a remake of “Don” movie (2006, director Farhan Akhtar) made in Bollywood in 2006.
Film “Fashion” of the leading Indian director Madhur Bhandarkar is being screened in the opening of the Contemporary Indian Cinema. Directors of other countries have also shown their interest in the magic of the fashion business. For example, film “Gloss” (director Andrey Konchalovsky) was released in Russia. His view of the world of fashion as a sticky spider web from which one cannot escape without losing one’s self-respect to a large extent is similar to the views of Madhur Bhandarkar. His supermodels either leave this world forever or become soulless dolls.
http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/eng/31/program/3114/about/
Moscow International Film Festival 19.06 - 28.06.2009
Roots // Yarwng
( India, 2008, 95 min. )
Director: Joseph Pulinthanath sdb
Cast: Sushil Debbarma, Meena Debbarma, Nirmal Jamatia
After the building a new dam twin rivers Raima and Saima overflew to their banks and submerged the village Bolombsa. The North – East Indian local people Yarwng, who have leaved here for thousands years had to move to another location and change their way of life. Karmati and Wikarai were to be married but, on the night before, the dam submerged the village and separate them forever. Time goes by and Karmati now married with Sukurai but still can’t forget her first love.
Film is screened in the Indian Panorama
( India, 2008, 95 min. )
Director: Joseph Pulinthanath sdb
Cast: Sushil Debbarma, Meena Debbarma, Nirmal Jamatia
After the building a new dam twin rivers Raima and Saima overflew to their banks and submerged the village Bolombsa. The North – East Indian local people Yarwng, who have leaved here for thousands years had to move to another location and change their way of life. Karmati and Wikarai were to be married but, on the night before, the dam submerged the village and separate them forever. Time goes by and Karmati now married with Sukurai but still can’t forget her first love.
Film is screened in the Indian Panorama
BOLLYWOOD NEWS
'Fashion' to be Showcased at the 31st Moscow International Film FestivalBy MovieTalkies.com, 23 June 2009
Bollywood is definitely going places and this time its Russia. The 31st Moscow International Film Festival will showcase Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Fashion' as one of their films in the Indian Panoram section. This is the first time that Bollywood films will be screened and Madhur has been invited to be a part of the prestigious festival and speak on Bollywood and films in India. On similar subject, Andrey Konchalovsky's 'Gloss' that released in Russia recently also shed light to the fashion world. Both of the makers believe in the same view that the world of fashion is like a web and one cannot survive without losing one's self respect. Other films in the Indian Panorama Programmes include Aamir Khan's 'Taare Zameen Par', Vishnuvardhan's 'Billa', Joseph Pulinthanath's 'Yarwng', Priyadarshan's 'Kanchivaram' and Suman Mukhapodhyay's 'Chaturganga'.
http://www.movietalkies.com/bollywoodnews/news.asp?NewsId=4026
Bollywood is definitely going places and this time its Russia. The 31st Moscow International Film Festival will showcase Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Fashion' as one of their films in the Indian Panoram section. This is the first time that Bollywood films will be screened and Madhur has been invited to be a part of the prestigious festival and speak on Bollywood and films in India. On similar subject, Andrey Konchalovsky's 'Gloss' that released in Russia recently also shed light to the fashion world. Both of the makers believe in the same view that the world of fashion is like a web and one cannot survive without losing one's self respect. Other films in the Indian Panorama Programmes include Aamir Khan's 'Taare Zameen Par', Vishnuvardhan's 'Billa', Joseph Pulinthanath's 'Yarwng', Priyadarshan's 'Kanchivaram' and Suman Mukhapodhyay's 'Chaturganga'.
http://www.movietalkies.com/bollywoodnews/news.asp?NewsId=4026
Fiesta of 14 quality films
CHANDAN SARMAH
FILM FESTIVAL
Meghalaya deputy chief minister Bindo Lanong at the film festival. Picture by Eastern Projections
It was heartening to see nationally acclaimed film directors and artistes attending the three-day film festival in Shilling from as far as Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi and the Northeast.
There were 14 films in the package — an equal number of full-length feature films and documentaries — selected from the Indian Panorama package of the International Film Festival of India held in Goa in November 2008. Of these, there were four films in English, two each in Hindi and Malayalam and one each in Assamese, Manipuri, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada and Kokborok.
The opening films of the festival were Yarwng (Kokborok) and Divided Colours of a Nation (English). While Yarwng is a sensitive story of the plight of the common man in the face of modernisation, the one in English is a 60-minute powerful documentary on the impact of reservation in India.
Produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust, the film shows that OBCs, SCs, STs and the less privileged make up 76 per cent of the Indian population but this majority has been ruled by the upper caste which constitutes only 12 per cent.
With authentic, complimentary visuals and sound cinematic language, director Umesh Aggarwal shows how reservation for the backward communities is currently the most contentious issue in the country.
Of the full-length feature films, the Marathi film, Valu (The Wild Bull), directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni, stands out. Valu, the wild bull, is blamed for every single act of chaos and destruction in and around a small village. Gradually, the bull becomes a challenge for the leaders in power and for those interested in fringe benefits. In this complex yet hilarious allegory, Valu represents free will. The director’s finer sense of treatment touches the viewers with its sensitivity and insight.
It may be recalled that the first film society of the Northeast, the Shillong Cine Club, was established in 1962. But it became inactive since the seventies. One only hopes that the initiative of the directorate of film festivals in India works like a major inspiring force to resume the film society movement in this city.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090605/jsp/northeast/story_11060439.jsp
FILM FESTIVAL
Meghalaya deputy chief minister Bindo Lanong at the film festival. Picture by Eastern Projections
It was heartening to see nationally acclaimed film directors and artistes attending the three-day film festival in Shilling from as far as Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi and the Northeast.
There were 14 films in the package — an equal number of full-length feature films and documentaries — selected from the Indian Panorama package of the International Film Festival of India held in Goa in November 2008. Of these, there were four films in English, two each in Hindi and Malayalam and one each in Assamese, Manipuri, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada and Kokborok.
The opening films of the festival were Yarwng (Kokborok) and Divided Colours of a Nation (English). While Yarwng is a sensitive story of the plight of the common man in the face of modernisation, the one in English is a 60-minute powerful documentary on the impact of reservation in India.
Produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust, the film shows that OBCs, SCs, STs and the less privileged make up 76 per cent of the Indian population but this majority has been ruled by the upper caste which constitutes only 12 per cent.
With authentic, complimentary visuals and sound cinematic language, director Umesh Aggarwal shows how reservation for the backward communities is currently the most contentious issue in the country.
Of the full-length feature films, the Marathi film, Valu (The Wild Bull), directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni, stands out. Valu, the wild bull, is blamed for every single act of chaos and destruction in and around a small village. Gradually, the bull becomes a challenge for the leaders in power and for those interested in fringe benefits. In this complex yet hilarious allegory, Valu represents free will. The director’s finer sense of treatment touches the viewers with its sensitivity and insight.
It may be recalled that the first film society of the Northeast, the Shillong Cine Club, was established in 1962. But it became inactive since the seventies. One only hopes that the initiative of the directorate of film festivals in India works like a major inspiring force to resume the film society movement in this city.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090605/jsp/northeast/story_11060439.jsp
Tripura film screened in New York
AGARTALA, June 12: A feature film on internal displacement in Tripura in Kokborok (tribal language) with English subtitle was screened in New York today.
Previously, the film had won a special jury award at the seventh Asian film festival in Mumbai, Yarwng (Root). Director of the film Joseph Pulinthanath said that Yarwng got an overwhelming appreciation at the Museum of Modern Art in New York which was scheduled to be screened at Stuttgart in Europe and at Brisbane in Australia in July.
He said Yarwng was selected for the overseas premiere at prestigious film events in US, Europe and Australia despite culture and language barrier.
The film has already been to more than 20 International festivals within the country, including the IFFI in Goa last year.
“The film is about how the gathering waters of a just-completed hydel project doomed the future of the villagers of the particular area besides, Karmati and Wakhirai,” the producer K J Joseph said.
The film also essays the life of Chokdri (village headman), Ochai (Village Priest) and Agurai (Shopkeeper).
About 80,000 tribals were ousted in 1976 when Dumbur hydel project was commissioned with a 30-metre high gravity dam constructed across the river Gumati about 3.5 km upstream of south Tripura, which submerged a valley area of 46.34 sq km for generating 8.60 megawatts of power from an installed capacity of 10 megawatt.
Unfortunately, about 60 per cent of the oustees have not yet received any rehabilitation from the government and most of them were settled in the hill ranges.
The story of Yarwng was set in the backdrop of the Gumati hydel project and projects the trauma of displacement and its aftermath that unfolds in the lives of the characters.
The film was based on the real narratives of the people, said Meena Debbarmma, the lead female character of the film. (Agencies)
http://www.sentinelassam.com/northeast.php?sec=2&subsec=9&id=13389&dtP=2009-06-13&ppr=1
Previously, the film had won a special jury award at the seventh Asian film festival in Mumbai, Yarwng (Root). Director of the film Joseph Pulinthanath said that Yarwng got an overwhelming appreciation at the Museum of Modern Art in New York which was scheduled to be screened at Stuttgart in Europe and at Brisbane in Australia in July.
He said Yarwng was selected for the overseas premiere at prestigious film events in US, Europe and Australia despite culture and language barrier.
The film has already been to more than 20 International festivals within the country, including the IFFI in Goa last year.
“The film is about how the gathering waters of a just-completed hydel project doomed the future of the villagers of the particular area besides, Karmati and Wakhirai,” the producer K J Joseph said.
The film also essays the life of Chokdri (village headman), Ochai (Village Priest) and Agurai (Shopkeeper).
About 80,000 tribals were ousted in 1976 when Dumbur hydel project was commissioned with a 30-metre high gravity dam constructed across the river Gumati about 3.5 km upstream of south Tripura, which submerged a valley area of 46.34 sq km for generating 8.60 megawatts of power from an installed capacity of 10 megawatt.
Unfortunately, about 60 per cent of the oustees have not yet received any rehabilitation from the government and most of them were settled in the hill ranges.
The story of Yarwng was set in the backdrop of the Gumati hydel project and projects the trauma of displacement and its aftermath that unfolds in the lives of the characters.
The film was based on the real narratives of the people, said Meena Debbarmma, the lead female character of the film. (Agencies)
http://www.sentinelassam.com/northeast.php?sec=2&subsec=9&id=13389&dtP=2009-06-13&ppr=1
Film examines problem of displacement in Tripura
Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:34am IST
PANAJI, India (Reuters) - A new film, one of the first to be made in the Kokborok language of Tripura, puts the spotlight on tribal displacement in the north-eastern state.
'Yarwng', screened at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Monday, tells the story of a man and woman displaced when their village is flooded just hours before they were to get married.
"The film deals with the real problem of displacement that has occurred in Tripura due to the building of the Dumbur dam," director Joseph Pullinthananth told reporters at the film festival in Goa, where 'Yarwng' was the opening film in the Indian Panorama section.
"We estimate that at least 30,000 to 40,000 people have been displaced and we made this film for every person who has ever been dispossessed."
Interestingly, the film's director and his crew are from Kerala while the actors in 'Yarwng' were locals from Tripura. But language was the least of their worries during the making of the film.
"We camped in the deepest interiors and the most backward tribal district of Tripura, which are most affected by the dam," Pullinthananth said.
Shooting for the film, partially funded by the Catholic Church in India, was completed in a month.
http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-36671620081124
PANAJI, India (Reuters) - A new film, one of the first to be made in the Kokborok language of Tripura, puts the spotlight on tribal displacement in the north-eastern state.
'Yarwng', screened at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Monday, tells the story of a man and woman displaced when their village is flooded just hours before they were to get married.
"The film deals with the real problem of displacement that has occurred in Tripura due to the building of the Dumbur dam," director Joseph Pullinthananth told reporters at the film festival in Goa, where 'Yarwng' was the opening film in the Indian Panorama section.
"We estimate that at least 30,000 to 40,000 people have been displaced and we made this film for every person who has ever been dispossessed."
Interestingly, the film's director and his crew are from Kerala while the actors in 'Yarwng' were locals from Tripura. But language was the least of their worries during the making of the film.
"We camped in the deepest interiors and the most backward tribal district of Tripura, which are most affected by the dam," Pullinthananth said.
Shooting for the film, partially funded by the Catholic Church in India, was completed in a month.
http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-36671620081124
Yarwng (Roots); New York MOMA Synopsis
2008. India. Written and directed by Father Joseph Pulinthanath. The brutal and bitter upheaval of tribal peoples in northeast India, their fertile riverside villages submerged by the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the 1970s, forms the backdrop to this unresolved love story between a young man and woman who are driven apart on the day they are meant to be married. Using nonprofessional actors (who relive their own traumatic experiences on screen) and depicting the landscape of Tripura, the tribal language of Kokborok, and a fascinating culture rarely captured on film and almost completely unknown even within India, Pulinthanath, a Catholic priest and a native of Kerala, creates an almost timeless fable about the clash of civilizations, and the forces of modernity that threaten to obliterate tribal life. North American premiere. In Kokborok; English subtitles. 90 min.
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/6743
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/6743
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