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

Bihu dance

Artists performing bihu dance, after completion of Bihu Workshop at Sankardeva Kalakhetra, Guwahati on 11-04-08. Pix by UB Photos.

Bihu dhol

An artist making dhol ahead of Rongali Bihu celebration at Tezpur on 11-04-08. Pix by UB Photos.

Centre turns down UPDS demand for separate statehood

The Centre has straightly rejected United Peoples’ Democratic solidarity demand for separate statehood but in the same breath has informed them that there will be discussion on some of their demanded they included in their charter of demands. This was disclosed during a tripartite talk on Friday in New Delhi attended by Union home ministry officials, state government representatives and UPDS top guns. The outfit, however, asked the government how it could proceed with the UPDS charter of demands. According to information, the talks remained inconclusive and will resume in next month. Notably, since the signing of the ceasefire in 2002, the UPDS leadership has had only six rounds of...

Encounter: NDFB cadre killed in Diphu

An NDFB cadre was killed during an encounter with police in Diphu early this morning. According to information, a few NDFB cadres were coming for extortion while police also were waiting near D S College. The exchange of firing continued for nearly half and hour which left the Bodo rebel cadre dead and two or three others have managed to flee from the spot. Late police recovered two hand grenades and a revolver from his possession. Investigation is going on.

Sismic survey stops beside historic construction

The Assam Government has ordered a halt to the seismic survey in an around Rupahi Pather in view of the cracks at the historic Rongghar. According to information, the instruction came following the allegation that the cracks have been spotted when there was seismic survey in the area. This was followed by stiff protest to resist any survey that could harm these historical constructions. Caught in this controversy, the ASI also set up a panel to unearth the truth behind it.

Blank firing in Barbaruah: 1 injured

One person has been left seriously injured when security personnel of a private company were resorting to blank firing to disperse a group of people who gheraod an office at Barboruah in Dibrugarh.According to information, the incident took place at an office of GT Compnay fielded by Oil India Limited for seismic survey in the areas.The workers started gheraod the company demanding release of payments and the situation went beyond control forcing the security personnel on duty to resort to blank firing. He has been rushed to the hospital. Later, the situation was brought under control.

Centre reviews Assam land order situation

The Centre is reviewing Assam’s law and order situation at a series of meeting in New Delhi which began on Thursday. The state’s top ranked civil and police officials including Assam Chief Secretary P.C. Sharma and state Director General of Police R.N. Mathur are hunkering down with the home ministry officials in Delhi to apprising the Centre of the state’s latest law and order situation specially in the BTAD areas and the hills districts. The meeting was attended by Union home secretary Madhukar along with high level officials reviewed the operations against rebel groups and the status of infrastructure projects in the state. Next round of meeting is schedule on Friday....

Surbhi Spring Festival, Mumbai: 11-13 April

Shreemoyee Asomiya Mahila Samiti(SAMS), Mumbai in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Government of Assam invites you all for the Times of India SURABHI SPRING FESTIVAL to be held from the 11th to 13th of April 2008-Time 2pm to 10 pm at Lokhandwala Garden, Andheri(W).Your heartfelt participation and encouragement to the Artists and Artisans from Assam will go a long way towards making this event a grand success.“Bihur Ulog Janalo”With regards Mrs Nibedita Hazarika Mrs Bijoya Chaudhury Mrs Bina SaikiaGeneral Secretary Under Secretary PresidentSAMS, Mumbai Department of Tourism SAMS, Mumbai...

Invitation for Rongali Bihu 2008 at Gurgaon

ASSAM ASSOCIATION GURGAON CELEBRATES THE SPIRIT OF ASSAM ‘RONGALI BIHU’ ON 13TH APRIL 2008 (All are cordially invited)HIGH LIGHTS OF THE EVENING:Bihu presented by Bihu Team from Guwahati Assamese Songs by Ms. Luna Bharali Das Bihu Songs & Dances by Local Community ArtistsAn Exotic Assamese DinnerVenue: HUDA Community Centre, Sector-46, GurgaonProgramme Evening 06:30 to 09:30 PM : Cultural Evening Chief Guest : Dr. Mukundakam Sharma, Honourable Justice, Supreme Court of India Night 09:30 to 10:30 PM : An Assamese Dinner (Contribution Rs. 200/- per adult)

Homecoming: AGP sets up panel on unification bid

After years of will-thy-won’t-they, the Asom Gana Parishad has finally stepped into the reunification corridor. In its crucial session concluded on Wednesday night, the party top guns have arrived at a consensus to proceed with the reunification deal. The speakers in the meeting have favoured homecoming of those in the party right from 1985 saying it will help the party regain paradise in Dispur. The meeting set up an 11-member panel to proceed with the reunification bid. The panel consists of Atul Bora, Prabin Gogoi, Girin Baruah, Dilip Saikia, Nurul Hussain, Ramendra Narayan Kalita, Padma Hazarika, Keshab Mahanta, Kamala Kalita and Hiranya Knowar while party’s executive...