Sanjay Kak is an independent documentary filmmaker whose recent work reflects his interests in ecology, alternatives and resistance politics. His films 'Jashn-e-Azadi' (How we celebrate freedom) (about the struggle for Azadi-freedom-in Kashmir), and 'Words on Water' (about the struggle against large dams in the Narmada valley in central India), have been widely screened both in India and abroad. 'Words on Water' (2003) won Best Long Film prize at the International Festival of Environmental Film & Video, Brazil. 'In the forest hangs a bridge' (1999) received the "Golden Lotus" for Best Documentary Film at the 1999 National Film Awards in India and the "Asian Gaze" Award at the Pusan Short Film Festival, Korea.
A film about the building of a thousand foot suspension bridge of cane and bamboo in India’s north-east, an evocation of the tribal community that makes it possible, and a reflection on the strength – and fragility – of the idea of community.
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From Kashmir, a provocative look at Indian democracy; a reflection on power, resistance and “freedom’s terrible thirst”.
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English (subtitled), 85 min, 2002, India
For more than 15 years, people of the Narmada Valley in central India have resisted a series of massive dams on their river, and in their struggle have exposed the deceptive heart of India¹s development politics. When the use of violence has become the arbiter of all political debate, ‘Words [...]