Friday 21 November 2008

By John Newton
 
A bishop has given strong backing to a movie made by two Catholic priests which opens a celebrated film event in India.

The movie, called Yarwng (Roots), has been selected to open the highly-respected Indian Panorama film selection which will be showcased at the International Film Festival of India in Goa, starting on Saturday (22nd November).

Talking to Aid to the Church in Need, the charity for persecuted Christians, Bishop Lumen Monteiro of Agartala, north-east India, described the importance of the 95-minute film, in the tribal language of Kokborok.

The film, written and directed by Father Joseph Pulinathanath and produced by Father Joseph Kizhakechennadu, addresses justice and peace issues in Bishop Monteiro’s diocese in the Tripura state, east of Bangladesh.

Based on real-life events, the two Salesians’ drama follows the story of tribal communities displaced when huge tracts of land were submerged with the creation of the Dumbur Dam 30 years ago.
Bishop Monteiro told ACN: “We are involved in empowerment – giving power to people who are on the margins.”

Although at its heart Yarwng (Roots) is a love story, it is set against the background of the large-scale displacement and shows how the community was affected by the changes.

The film won the Jury Special Mention Award at last month’s 2008 Asian Film Festival for its “moving and sensible portrayal” of a people’s journey in search of their roots.

Anil Sarkar, the Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism in Tripura state’s Marxist government, praised the film. He said it will “directly strengthen the culture and language of the peoples”.

He also said that Christian missionaries had historically been committed to the promotion of local culture and language.

The critical success of the film is an important reminder of the Church’s prominent role in society at a time when Christians elsewhere in India have come under siege in a spate of violence centred on the eastern state of Orissa.

Yarwng (Roots) is one of only 25 Indian films chosen to be shown as part of the Indian Panorama. They were selected by a jury headed by noted Indian filmmaker K.N.T. Shastri.

This is only the second film in Kokborok to be produced, the first was Mathia (Bangle) – the Church in Tripura’s first venture into film making.

Father Pulinathanath’s first film looked at witch hunts, following 36 persecutions for witchcraft in the state.

The Church in Tripura has also employed more traditional arts to promote community peace by putting on street plays at weekly bazaars.

Bishop Monteiro said: “In the modern age of communication, they may not seem important, but where people are illiterate they are a powerful means of communication.”

The bishop explained to ACN how all these initiatives help to promote communal harmony in a region where there have been ethnic tensions between tribals and non tribal.

The Church is involved in a wide range of projects among tribal people including self-help groups, community awareness programmes for women, and non-formal training for school drop outs teaching skills such as weaving, all of which have helped stabilize communities.

ACN has offered help for Bishop Monteiro with projects including building chapels as well as religious education and training courses for lay people.

[ACN]