Skip to content Skip to navigation

Tripura film bags first National Film Award

x

Error message

  • Notice: Undefined index: DraggableCaptchaAnswer in draggable_captcha_generate_refresh() (line 197 of /home/assam1/web/assamtimes.org/public_html/sites/all/modules/draggable_captcha/draggable_captcha.module).
  • Notice: Undefined index: DraggableCaptchaCodes in draggable_captcha_generate_refresh() (line 197 of /home/assam1/web/assamtimes.org/public_html/sites/all/modules/draggable_captcha/draggable_captcha.module).
  • Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in draggable_captcha_generate_refresh() (line 197 of /home/assam1/web/assamtimes.org/public_html/sites/all/modules/draggable_captcha/draggable_captcha.module).
By editor |

Internationally acclaimed Kokborok film YARWNG (Roots) won the first national film award for Tripura at 56th National Film Awards (2008) held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, 19 March, 2010. The President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil handed over the medal and certificate to Don Bosco priests Joseph Kizhakechennadu (producer) and Fr. Joseph Pulinthanath (director) for their second feature film.


Pulinthanath dressed in white cassock and Kizhakechennadu in his preferred saffron lungi and half-sleeved white kurta were among 52 film award winners of 2008, including high-profile Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra and the doyen of Indian Cinematography V.K. Murthy who was awarded country’s highest honor in cinema - the Dada Saheb Phalke Award.


Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Smt. Ambika Soni and Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, and other officials accompanied the President.


Accent on People’s Cinema


The award winning 95 minute film Yarwng (Roots) tells the story of large-scale displacement of tribal people that took place in the tiny Northeastern state when a hydel project was set up there in the late 1970s. Yarwng was the opening film at the prestigious Indian Panorama section of the 39th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Panaji, Goa, November 2008.


According to the filmmakers, the script of Yarwng emerged from the numerous encounters they held with displaced people in the sanctity of their ramshackle homes. “All the incidents and emotional turmoil we see in the film were etched in the subconscious psyche of the people. All we did was to get close to them and feel their stories as they recalled them with looks, sighs, tears and also words,” recalled the priest director and winner of national and international awards.


“Although the technical team came from Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) and the support team from Guwahati (Assam), the best part of the production was the involvement of the local people,” says producer Kizhakechennadu who claims cinematic traditions from his legendary relative John Abraham, a genius in Malayalam cinema and founder of a people's cinema movement called Odessa.


All the artistes and production hands were from Tripura state including noted actors Meena Debbarma who plays the lead role of Karmati, Amulya Ratan Jamatia, Nirmal Jamatia and Surabhi Debbarma.


Yarwng has traveled throughout India and has been screened in major cities around the world including New York, Brisbane, Moscow, Taipei, Stuttgart and Dhaka.


Yarwng also won a Special Jury Mention Award at the 3rd Eye Asian film festival held in Mumbai in 2008.


The film, part-financed by Church organizations – Missio Germany, Signis and the Salesian Congregation is also a compelling testament to the commitment of the Church and the Don Bosco Society to preservation of local, indigenous cultures and people.


C.M. Paul, New Delhi

Comments

KOUSHIK HAZARIKA's picture

Submitted by KOUSHIK HAZARIKA on Sat, 27/03/2010 - 07:06
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.

Pages

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

Dispur for some change in NRC

The Assam government is planning some change in the NRC papers. Disclosing this at a press conference in Guwahati om Sunday government spokesperson Himanta Biswa Sarma said NRC upgradation work has been suspended for a very brief period of time. "Let the Chief Minister return from Delhi. We will talk to the various parties and organisation before resuming the project" said the minister. Sarma said the government has ordered a judicial probe into the recent Barpeta firing where 5 persons does and over 50 injured.

Gogoi stable, to be discharged likely

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is recovering a day after he was admitted Max Hospital in Delhi when complained of high blood pressure. According to information, Gogoi's condition is quite stable and is likely to be released on Sunday afternoon. Gogoi, who had gone to New Delhi to attend the National Development Council meeting, fell ill in the morning as he was attending the country's higest policy making body meet. He was rushed to the hospital for constant monitoring and thorough check up.

City gears up for Independence Day

As the D-Day comes closer, the city of Guwahati prepares itself for the day with round the clock checks, security set-ups and other arrangements. In the spate of the recent bomb blast in Fancy bazar last week, various checkpoints have been set up in different parts of the city to vigilate coming in and around the city. The venue where Indepence Day is to be celebrated, the Latasil field, have been kept on tight vigil since this month beginning. Policemen have been deployed in and around the field and it has been lit up with lights for better vigil., The policemen keep a 24 hour vigil and conduct checks. Ananya Bhattacharjee, Guwahati

Akon Bora land in deep trouble

In a major set back to the Tarun Gogoi government, the Guwahati High Court has ordered repoll in two booths of the Assembly constituency from where Social Welfare Minister Akon Bora had won as a Congress candidate in the 2006 polls. The historic judgment came up when Justice I. A. Ansari was hearing a writ petition filed by former Asom Gana Parishad minister Atul Bora, directed election officials to hold repoll at the earliest for the two polling stations - No 196 and 164 of the 52 Dispur Assembly constituency. The AGP candidate, who had contested against the minister, had lost the polls by a mere 813 votes. Bora had filed a petition with the High Court alleging election malpractices...

ULFA cadre killed in encounter

A hardcore ULFA cadre died during an encounter with police in Dibrugarh district of Assam on Tuesday. The encounter took place in the morning at Jokai forest area where ULFA cadre Biplab Baruah was killed. Biplab came over ground 2 years back but recent he disappeared and went back to the jungles.

6 policemen injured in accident

At least six policemen have been injured when an oil tanker hit their vehicle on NH-31 in the outskirt of Guwahati on Sunday. The accident took place in the morning as the oil tanker hit the police van from the rear at Chotsil. The tanker hit a herd of cattle, killing eight cows on the spot. All the injured policemen have been rushed to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. The driver of the vehicle has been absconding.

ULFA leader captured in Bangladesh

In Its continuing crackdown, Bangladesh has captured one more ULFA leader on its soil on Saturday. According to a section of Bangldesh media, Rapid Action Battalion arrested ULFA leader Ranjan Chowdhury along with one of his Bangladeshi associates in Bhairab upazila of Kishoreganj early in the morning. An team of the elite force with the help of Rab-9 conducted an operation in Laxmipur area and captured the ULFA leader and his associate Pradip Marak, 55, of Sherpur. A pistol, one revolver, four bullets, four bombs and some bomb-making materials were also found in his possession. They were taken to the Rab headquarters hours after the arrests. The Rab director said the drive was conducted...

Gogoi slams AGP, BJP on the Floor

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday claimed to have improved the state's economy in the last 9 years. Concluding the debate on White paper on Friday in the Assembly, Gogoi said the performance of his government is much better than the AGP who came to power for two terms. "When we came to power, the financial health was ailing. But the things have changed a lot" said Gogoi. The Chief Minister said initially his government stressed on roads and bridges in rural areas and as a result these have improved connectivity across the sate.

Shootout in Guwahati

One person has been injured when a gang of armed gang of dacoits targeted two youths in Guwahati on Friday. The incident took place at Lokhora Charialiat around 3 in the afternoon when the youths came to deposit a huge amount of money at the State Bank of India. The one who was driving teh car was hurt in the firing. Amid a commotion, the dacoits managed to escape from the spot. The injured person was rushed to GMCH. The due who with at DTO office had Rs.25 lakh with them at be deposited at the Bank.

Minor boy killed, 2 arrested

Police on Friday have arrested two youths near Guwahati charging the duo with killing a minor boy hours after they kidnapped him. According to information, the body of Kundan Das of Dharapur was found on Friday a day after the Calss V student went missing. Further investigation is goign on