English (subtitled), 11 min, 2008, India
A project which began as a search for an Indian Nepali identity, ‘Machis ko Sinka’ [Matchstick] evolved into an attempt to understand the movement for Gorkhaland as it was then in 2008 in Darjeeling. The filmmaker realizes the multicultural mosaic of “Gorkhaland” and tries to decipher as to why all the different communities in this geographical space have identified themselves with the Gorkhas and want a separate state for themselves. The film looks at a specific moment in the recent history of the movement when arguments for and against the use of violence were raging amongst the youth, touching thereby the spectre of violence and hatred that haunted the hills in 1986-88.
Awards and Screenings
Awards:
Consolation prize, Documentary, 1st Indian International Youth Film Festival, Jawahalal Nehru University, New Delhi, 2010
Selected Screenings:
Vikalp Archive, Vikalp & Alliance Screening, Alliance Francaise, Mumbai, 2010
SIGNS, John Abraham National Awards Festival, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 2009
Film South Asia ’09, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2009
Montage 09, Student Documentary Film Festival, Dept of Mass Communication & Journalism, St.Joseph’s College, Darjeeling, 2009