Skip to content Skip to navigation

Tripura film bags first National Film Award

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

Zubeen pins hope on Tibetan peace with a tune

Bollywood singer Zubin Garg enthralled a huge gathering in Delhi when he performed at the Bihu function organized by the Assam Association in Delhi on Sunday and expressed his solidarity with the Tibetan cause. The singer whose glory was riding piggyback on songs like Ya Ali in Gangster pulled the huge crowd with his famed Jaane Kya Chahe Man Bavara and Subah Subah and the people could not but sit silent. They acknowledged him with dancing and clapping. He journey in that swashbuckling evening began with a number of Assamese hit songs and ended with the most popular Ya Ali.Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court M K Sharma and chairman of Ozone Group S C Sehgal....

Bus-truck head on collision in Roha; 5 killed, 10 injured

Altogether five people died and ten others have been injured when a Tezpur bound bus collided its head on a moving truck near Roha in Nagaon district today.According to information, the accident took place when the speeding truck lost its control and collided its head on the bus from Guwahati at Jungalbalahu area. Those killed in the accident were all at the cabin of the bus.Immediately after the incident, Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Dr J Balaji and superintendent of police Nitul Gogoi arrived in the spot and rushed the injured people to the Nagan Bhugeswari Phukanoni Civil Hospital. The condition of the eight of these people is said to be serious. Of course, none but a CRPF a person has...

AIM Convocation

The Assam Institute of Management is happy to inform that the 13th Annual Convocation of the Institute is scheduled on 23rd April 2008 at 5.30 PM atthe Tirthanath Sharma Sabhaghar at Guwahati. Dr. Amarjyoti Choudhury of the Gauhati University will deliver the Convocation Address. We shall be veryhappy if all those who are in Guwahati grace the occasion. Fifty six students will be awarded the PG Diploma in the convocation. Mallika Sharma will get the medal for best academic performance. She was the only student to score Honours Marks.47 of the students have already been placed through campus recruitment and we expect the balance to be placed soon.

Naga women selling vegetables

A Naga lady is selling local vegetables in the supper market of Kohima, the capital city of India's northeastern state Nagaland on 21-04-08. Photo by UB Photos.

Pakhi Miyan arrested, CBI interrogation on

Police have arrested infamous drugs peddler Pakhi Miyan on Friday in West Benga charging with his involvement in a number of cases. According to information, a team of Central Bureau of investigation is interrogating him in connection with a number of cases. The interrogation is in progress and some startling revelations are coming up during the interrogation before handing over to Assam police. Miyan, who was allegedly involved in the murder of Income Tax officer Tarun Dutta has also been allegedly involved in the killing of a Nagaon journalist with Asomiya Pratidin Muslimuddin Ahmed. The arrest was no disclosed due to the CBI interrogation. The notorious drugs don was arrested along with...

Assam Co goes aggressive in Nelp VII

The Assam Company Ltd (ACL) is evincing interest to strike deal with domestic and international firms for more oil and gas blocks to be auctioned under the seventh round of National Exploration Licensing Policy. According to information, the company is planning to bid for more oil and gas blocks in other parts of the country. Sources say the government will auction 57 oil and gas blocks under National Exploration Licensing Policy-VII, the bid date for which has been postponed to May 16.Also it is informed that Amguri fields was producing 1,000 barrels oil equivalent (BOE) of oil and gas per day, but the production would go up after more facilities were installed.

Home ministry team probing encroachment on Satra lands

A Union home ministry team is visiting the state to probe the allegations of Bangladeshi encroachment on a huge plot of land measuring around 7000 bighas which belong to 25 monasteries in the state. The high level team has already visited the Bardowa satra as part of its investigation.According to information, the satra bodies have alleged, an area measuring more than 6000 bighas have been the living land of these immigrants. All Assam Satra Mahasabha, along with All Assam Students Union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad have been categorically demanding steps to check these encroachment but nothing has come out. The Union home ministry has sent a high level team to probe it. The team...

Suwori Utsav at Boko

Elephants seen during Elephant Fight competition in Boko Anchalik Suwori Utsav at Boko on 19-04-08. Pix by UB Photos.

Major blast averted in Paltanbazar as 10 PTED found

Police have averted a major blast in Guwahati when as many as ten PTEDs were recovered at Paltanbazar on Sunday afternoon. According to information, these explosive devises were found at a bus after it arrived in the city from Kakopathar in Tinsukia district. Acting on a specific input, police checked a bag and recovered these explosive devises. Two youths namely Kamal Deka and Suren Deka have been arrested in this connection. Of them are said to be a hardcore ULFA militant. Investigation is going on. Meanwhile, heavy exchange of firing is continuing in Bokoliaghat in Karbi Anglong district between police and KLNLF militants. A K:NLF has been reportedly killed in the encounter. Details are...

Top ULFA cadre admits Paresh Baruah in B’desh

Despite repeated denial of the presence of ULFA Chief Paresh Baruah on the soil of Bangladesh, of late, it has once again come to light that the most wanted rebel leader I very much there. This startling revelation has come up from a hardcore ULFA terrorist Bokul Roy who surrendered before the Border Security Force yesterday. According to information, it was Paresh Baruah who has recently addressed the cadres in Bangladesh on April 7 last when the outfit was observing its Raising Day. Bokul has admitted the presence of nine terrorist camps in Sidepur district of Bangladesh under the direct patronage of the Bangladesh government. Notably, Bangladesh have been repeatedly denying the presence...