Goan Peoples' Film Festival Celebrating Life and Livelihoods Festival Schedule
22nd November: 3:00 -4:00 pm: Inauguration 5:30 pm: Inaugural Film: India Untouched – Stories of a People Apart 23rd November: Assault on Tribal Livelihoods & Challenges to Mining 10:00 am – 01:00 pm Tribal Livelihoods 4:00 pm – 8.00 pm Challenges to Mining 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Interactive Session/ Press Conference : 24th November: Day 2: Change in Goa Villages (SEZ, Mega-Projects, Tourism) 10:00 am – 11:30 am Tourism 4.00 pm – 8.00 pm SEZs and Mega-projects 5 :00 pm – 6 :00 pm Interactive Session / Press Conference 25th November: Celebrating Goa: Alternate Images of a Tourist Destination 5:00 pm – 6: 30 pm Digital Narratives from the Other Goa 5 :00 pm – 6 :00 pm Interactive Session / Press Conference 7:00 – 8:00 pm Closing Film: Stories of Change (Bangladesh) 22nd November 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Inauguration 5:30 pm: Inaugural Film: INDIA UNTOUCHED- Stories of a People Apart Dir: Stalin K. 108 minutes. Hindi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalm with English sub-titles Synopsis "INDIA UNTOUCHED-Stories of a People Apart" is perhaps the most comprehensive look at Untouchability ever undertaken on film. Director Stalin K. spent four years traveling the length and breadth of the country to expose the continued oppression of 'Dalits,' the 'broken people' who suffer under a 4000 year-old religious system. Spanning eight states and four religions, this film will make it impossible for anyone to deny that Untouchability continues to be practiced in India. The film has participated in many festivals and obtained numerous awards. Weblink http://www.freedomfilmsindia.org/newsdetail.asp?NewsID=45 Discussion : Privileged Comment by Dadu Mandrekar, Goan Dalit rights Activist 23rd November: Day Assault on Tribal Livelihoods & Challenges to Mining 10:00 am: Tribal Livelihoods Goa's people are being corralled into a narrow and short-sighted set of beliefs about livelihoods. The government-industry combination is advocating a very limited notion of socio-economic well-being. This notion keeps out entirely the self-sustaining and symbiotic living rhythms of Goa's tribal communities, and dangerously erodes the strengths of Goa's traditional agri-fishing communities. The results are forced dispossession of homelands, internal migration and recurring poverty. Ignored by 'official' and industry-sponsored policies, tribal Goa is being forced into a low-grade parallel economy. * Mahua Memoirs Director and Photographer: Vinod Raja Dur: 82 minutes Synopsis Mahua Memoirs makes visible those voices that systematically dismantle the claims made by policy makers and industry that projects like mining bring in employment and therefore development and prosperity to the region and its people. It is a fact, that major mining districts of the country are also the poorest and most underdeveloped. Not only because the profits generated from mining never go back to the mining areas or the local communities, but because the dominant paradigm of development within which the mining policy has evolved, encourages the extraction and exploitation of the natural wealth of a region in such a way that it can never be replenished. What does this violence mean for a people who remain unseen and unheard? What does the notion of 9 percent growth of the national economy, mean for 8 percent of its people who are the victims of this growth? Weblink http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20070915&filename=news&sec_id=15&sid=10 * Vanishing Trails Dir: Vinod Raja Dur: 45 mins Synopsis Vinod Raja and Ashok Maridas tell the story of nomadic communities -- the Raj Nats, the Denotified Tribes, the Bahuroopis, the Bhudagajangamas and the Kadak Lakshmis. The film records glimpses of their past glory and their fast disappearing culture and craft usurped by changes in information technology, industrialization and urbanization. The questions the implications of this loss for our collective futures. * The Lament of Niyamraja: a dongria kond song Dir: Surya Dash Duration: 13 min Synopsis Bard, druid, healer, shaman and mystic Dambu Prasaka of the Dogria Kond tribe sings a song about the tribe's sacred mountain Niyamgiri. * Shot Dead for Development Dir: Surya Dash Duration : 1 min Synopsis An animation film depicting the ongoing reality of Adivasi people in Orissa. Made for London based arts fund MOTIROTI as a tribute to martyrs of development * Issues ... from the heart of concrete Dur: 10 mins? Synopsis A scenic part of Goa is going under the builder's axe. Jason Keith Fernandes, a National Law School-educated lawyer and campaigner, explains what are the issues there. Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=ESfMu3HdoME 4:00 pm : Challenges to Mining For eight years till 2008, driven by the global demand for commodities, iron ore mining in Goa escalated in activity and impact. The industry has long existed in Goa as an exclusive sector, insulated from accountability, quasi-political in its influence over state policy. This is seen most clearly now, with anti-mining protests being put down brutally by the state. The state and industry have persisted with the fiction that mining is a critical part of the Goan economy, but the ecological costs and social burdens of mining have never been accounted for. A Goa-wide anti-mining network has now been forged to expose the impacts of 60 years of strip mining in Goa, and to shut down the industry. * Seby ... on mining issues in Goa Dur: 3:05 mins Synopsis A former chief minister and Goa's current leader of the Opposition (BJP's Manohar Parrikar) charged Seby Rodrigues of being a "Naxalite" (Maoist) ... for his involvement in highlighting mining-related issues affecting the people in interior Goa. The charge boomeranged, drawing Seby a lot of sympathy, and much more attention going to the issue of long-neglected damage brought on by mining. Listen to what Seby has to say.... Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=u-u9LHPEKRU * Goa, Goa, Gone Dir: Kurush Canteenwala Dur: 22 mins Synopsis Mining is Goa's second-largest industry after tourism. 8% of this state's land is already under mining, mostly for iron ore. Now, mining activity is intensifying across the state. So is the opposition of citizens to this unregulated industry. This Infochange documentary explores the impact of mining on Goa's environment – one of the world's 12 biodiversity hotspots -- and livelihoods. Weblink http://infochangeindia.org/Infochange-documentary.html * NIYAMGIRI - A musical preview Dir: Surya Dash Duration: 5 min Synopsis A musical documentary preview of the controversial aluminium project by Vedanta in Niyamgiri hills. * Pani - the war for water Dir: Surya Dash Duration: 25 min Synopsis A film made for a farmers campaign to stop diversion of water from hirakud reservoir to mega aluminium, steel and thermal power plants. 5 :00 – 6 :00 :Interactive Session : Representatives from Mining Communities, Gakuved (Tribal rights group) 6:30 pm: * AFTERSHOCKS: The Rough Guide to Democracy Dir: Rakesh Sharma Dur: 1hr 05 mins Synopsis Aftershocks is a journey through the labyrinthine universe of Democracy, as it exists in its lowest unit level - the Indian village. Shot in Gujarat, after the 2001 earthquake, the film is about the transformation of the Welfare State into an ally of the Corporation. This much awarded film examines the acquisition/ displacement of two quake-affected villages for lignite mining and power generation. It probes the microcosm in the nature of a study "from below" of globalisation of Economy and corporatisation of Democracy Web-link http://www.rakeshfilm.com/aftershocks.htm 24th November: Day 2: Change in Goa's Villages (SEZ, Mega-Projects, Tourism) No village, panchayat or communidade space was ever designed to host the intrusions of an economically charged India. From 2000, Goa's village ecosystems have been under siege. The struggle is waged not only over the theft of land and commons and its replacement by structures that are alien to the Goan village; it is also about an idea of development that is utterly out of synch with Goa's community structures. Goa's villages have resisted the imposition of the urban, and the metropolis, scale but not always successfully. 10:00 am- 1:15 pm: Tourism * Bhaile Dir: Ajay Noronha Dur: 40 mins Synopsis 'Bhaile' is an attempt to illustrate the occurrence of tourism-related child sex abuse in India. It speaks to a cross-section of Goa to comprehensively discuss the issues involved. Its driving force is the innocence of the child. The film opens with the chaos and abandon associated with taking a vacation in Goa. In the midst of this madness, children write letters to Santa Claus for their Christmas gifts and a group of middle aged foreign tourists arrive. We follow them to the beaches and their usual hangouts. And just then Santa replies about his impending trip, money sent for Christmas and expensive bicycles. This ain't good ol' Santa riding on his sleigh with a bagful of goodies, but some 'fatherly' men writing to their 'sons'. In the course of their stay, the film explores the various issues involved by speaking with representatives from the police, the State, the Church, the NGO's, the judiciary, beachshack owners and some children. * Goa under Seige Dir: Gargi Sen Dur: 30 mins English with subtitles Synopsis Goa Under Siege investigates the impact of the development of large-scale tourism on the hosts: on their ecology, economy and culture. The film presents the case study of Goa, a tourism hot-spot in India. It elaborates on the different kinds of tourists who visit Goa, and the consequence of their visit. Investigating specific incidences of violations, the film attempts to understand the class interests of those who want to push tourism in Goa towards a certain direction. Finally, the film presents the protests by citizens of Goa and attempts to understand why the people are unhappy when tourism is generally seen as one of the best industries to earn profits and bring in foreign exchange to the country. Weblink http://www.magiclanternfoundation.org/mlf_gus.htm * Saligao, garbage... and the impact of tourism Frederick Noronha Dur: 5 mins Synopsis Joaquim D'Mello, former bank manager now retired, explains the struggle of the villagers to fight a garbage dump atop a hillock just looking over their village -- Saligao in Goa, India. http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=xFoMJHuPRWs * Saimakaden Samvad (Dialogue With Nature) Dir: Rajshree Bandodkar Karapurkar Duration: 90 mins Language: Konkani English Subtitles Synopsis Rajshree Bandodkar Karapurkar's film wants to bring home the truth that our environment is under severe threat as a result human activities. Using a cast of three children and their interaction with elements of nature the film articulates that the future is in our hands and unless we take corrective action now we will reach a point of no return. The film is produced by Sidharth Karapurkar and Roy Fernandes is its art director. 4:00 pm SEZs and Mega-projects * How Green Is My Valley (collection of 5 films) Dir: Multiple (courtesy Film Beam Dec 2006) Dur: 18 mins Synopsis The Goa Bachao Abhiyan captured the imagination of an indignant citizenry who were shocked by the attacks on land, lives and livelihoods as proposed in the Regional Plan. At the16 Jan 2007 mammoth public meeting at Lohia Maidan, Margao, Film Beam announced a film making contest on the theme "How green is my valley". 21 entries were submitted by 28 Jan and the best five were showcased at a function on 30 Jan - the day the Mahatma was killed. All these films are of less than 3 minutes duration and explore the positive responses to a negative situation. . * Amka Naka Sez : The solidarity against SEZs in Goa Dur:18 mins Synopsis The People's Movements Against SEZs in Keri, Sancoale, Loutolim, Verna, Quitol & elsewhere in Goa (supported by Council for Social Justice & Peace, Jagrut Goem and Goa Bachao Abhiyan) came together under the banner of SEZ Virodhi Manch to unitedly & collectively ensure that the people's will, unambiguously expressed through gram sabha resolutions against SEZs in various villages is respected & implemented by the state Govt. A audio visual capture of the solidarity and success of the SEZ Virodhi Manch and its popular slogan "amka naka SEZ, amka zai PEZ" (we do not want SEZ, we want PEZ) – PEZ= rice gruel (in Konkani) PEZ= Peoples' Economic Zones * Soter D'Souza on Panchayati Raj issues in Goa (2 part interview) Dur: 13 mins Synopsis Soter D'Souza, campaigner in Goa, talks about the panchayat raj issues he has been working on for a significant period of time here. Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=93QWYwIeCaI http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk9FfnePi7M * The changing face of the Goa village Dur: 7:05 mins Synopsis Konkani poet Shashikant Punaji introduces his poem 'Mhozo Ganv'. In it he expresses the impact of urbanisation on the Goan village, and how all that has stopped. "Somebody has buried a time-bomb in my village..." The poetry is in the Pernem dialect of Konkani. The poet writes in Konkani, but takes the trouble to explain his work in English here. Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=WFVzfluvVqk * Why are Goa's villagers angry? Dur: 9:49 mins Synopsis Bismark Dias, a Catholic priest from Goa, who takes a bold stance in supporting the villagers' movements in various parts of the fast-urbanising (and land-speculating driven) central coast, explains what are the issues involved, and why more concrete won't help the villagers there. Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=SX8I7KY5O0w * Golden Eye Report on Orda Hill-cutting Prod: Golden Eye Dur: 9 mins Synopsis This news report on the cutting of a hill in the sea-side village of Candolim highlights a number of the problems that work together to create the nightmare for Goa's average citizen. 5 :00 – 6 :00 : Interactive Session : Representatives from anti- SEZ, anti-mega housing projects 6:30 pm: * The Rape of Goa Rajan Parrikar Dur: Synopsis The Rape of Goa is a photo documentary, filled with images of violence done to the ecology and people of Goa . It documents the violence done to the earth, as hills are cut and forests 'shaved' off. It speaks of the violence done to local inhabitants, as concrete apartments rise and threaten the security and life-styles of these older residents. All in all, it is a vivid description of some of the more visible atrocities being committed in the name of development within the state. Weblink http://www.parrikar.org/ 25th November: Day 3: Celebrating Goa: Alternate Images of a Tourist Destination Goa is many-layered, and only one of these layers is tourism as the consumer knows it. A combination of economic need and marketing overkill has given Goa a brand personality that it does not at all deserve. Despite the state being 'consumed' by tourists, it has many lives outside and away from this narrow and noisy sector. Village Goa remains intimate, cooperative, concerned about human and environment, and small-scale. The people of village Goa are local patriots and it is their care and effort, when taken together, that maintains the ideology of life and livelihood that we call Goa. This session seeks to initiate via digital narrative, and supplement through discussion with the protagonists of the narrative, alternate visionings of a lived (as opposed to visited) Goa. 5:00 pm * Joseph ani Flavia Priya Kamat Dur: 15 mins Synopsis This is a fictional episode from a day in the life of two persons from the village of Orlim in Salcete, Goa. Joseph is an entrepreneur of a cottage industry and Flavia is a little girl who chances to step into Joseph's house while he is in the midst of work. Using characters from factual life , the film constructs an imaginary encounter between them . It reveals a moment of truth that blurs the distinction between documentary and fiction * Leroy Veloso, the village life, and studying Goa Dur:5:05 Synopsis A noisy cafe, Leroy of Moira (Goa) talks about what it means to understand a village in Goa. He talks about the past and present of Moira, and what makes it special ... and the traditional clans (vangors) of the village. Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=8TqWTdxgooM * So Often… Prod: Pamela D'Mello Dur: 4 :15 mins Synopsis A personalized digital narrative about the enigma that faces village communities in tourist hot-spot Goa where runaway tourism converts the landscape spawning a holiday-home/tourist-resort building boom that dramatically alters rustic village communities. Weblink http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyMIdZ5-D9g * Cafe Prakash? Why? Dur:10:19 Synopsis Voices from Goa tell you why Cafe Prakash, a tiny restaurant in Goa, now has pretension of being the 'unofficial press club of Goa'. Listen to Prakash Sakhalkar (after whom the restaurant is named), Ralino Sequeira, campaigner Soter D'Souza, writer Nagueshbab Karmali, Manoj Joshi, meet the staff, and hear homeopath Sushrut Martins, current manager 'Babu' Kaplesh Sakhalkar, Miguel Braganza, and Gomantak Times deputy news editor Ashley do Rosario. In English and Konkani. Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=1_83RCYe_Xc * Striking silver ... from Saligao Dur: 4:50 Synopsis On a summer evening in 2008, a walk down to Lourdes Convent brings one face-to-face with youngsters working hard on something unusual. What's it? We can fight together, and we can live together say three boys from there. Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=753xgsKHPdc * Pomburpa initiatives... what villages and expats can do Prod: Mario Fernandes Dur: Synopsis Mario Fernandes returned back from Leicester to Goa, and took on a number of local initiatives here. This is his story of what he sees Goa really needs -- basically developing people's skills (not just industrial growth, ugly real estate and meaningless costly government projects in the name of 'development') Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=E421E5WBFqs * Music, sports, a library ... where there's a will Prod: Mario Fernandes Dur: 1:07 mins Synopsis Mario Fernandes returned back from Leicester to Goa, and took on a number of local initiatives here. This is his story of what he sees Goa really needs -- basically developing people's skills (not just industrial growth, ugly real estate and meaningless costly government projects in the name of 'development') Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=q7u03sp1ITs * Moving Images... a film society from Goa, India Dur: 3:31 mins Synopsis Gayatri Konkar and her husband, Salil, returned early back to India from jobs in the US. With other local backers here, they set up and run the Moving Images film club that meets at the International Centre, Goa. She explains what the society is all about, with the backdrop of the windy Dona Paula plateau. Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=pRtZdm_vQsA * RTI in Goa... and the media Dur: 8:06 mins Synopsis Lionel Messias long-time journo in Goa and elsewhere, explains his experiences in deploying the Right to Information Act in Goa, to dig up the dirt... Weblink http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=NrP_X4OEi6U 5 :00 – 6 :00 : Interactive Session : Closing Film * Stories of Change Dir: Simon & Sara Dur: 55 Minutes Synopsis A testament to the resilience of human spirit, Stories of Change is a real life documentary set in Bangladesh, about the lives of 5 women aging from 16 to 60, coming from different walks of life, from different profession, religions and regions of Bangladesh. Different yet common in their dreams, these women face life's challenges with confidence and belief in their dreams. Knitted in 5 small shorts, Stories of Change takes us to a 6th story, unlike a cliché stereo-type, a distinct yet universal struggle of human existence. Stories of change has been selected for participation at a number of film festivals. Weblink http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stories_of_Change