"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