Jury Statement for FSA '07

15 October 2007

Jury Members: Saeed Mirza (Chair), Farjad Nabi, Kedar Sharma

It has been said so many times that no one believes it now, but never has it been more true, that the jury of FSA 07 had a very difficult task in selecting the films for the final awards. Let it be said that it is the most unenviable task for any filmmaker to end up in for we saw something special in each film we had the pleasure of viewing and often found ourselves wishing for more categories in order to recognise the wonderful films we had shortlisted.

Many questions, some general to documentary filmmaking, some particular to the South Asian context came up again and again; funded films versus independent efforts, diaspora outlook versus local insight, broad based issues versus brave choices of subject matter; all these and more were discussed in great detail.

The vast sweep of subjects and the variety in approaches to the documentary made our job all the more difficult. It is to the credit of FSA that they bring together such a diverse collection of films on one platform and it was very heartening to see the Kathmandu audience respond so enthusiastically to this great effort by the FSA team.

The Special Jury Mention Award

Films shortlisted for this award included the disturbing narrative of the 54 missing Indian POWs in the powerful yet subtle anti-war film Hope dies last in war by Supriyo Sen.

Also in reckoning was the post tsunami film, From Dust by Dhruv Dhawan, which documents the aftershocks of the great disaster in a touching account following various characters left clinging to shards of hope in a future buried under bureaucracy and commercial interestes.

Finally the jury had no choice but to split the award between two films.

The first is the ambitious undertaking of bringing the Bombay of past and present together in a staggering panorama of images, interviews, fiction narratives and non fiction sequences in the artful yet candid, Seven Islands & A Metro by Madhusree Dutta.

The award is shared by a film which revisits the location of an event which shook the foundations of secular India. In the tug of war since ensued, the original inhabitants have been reduced to helpless witnesses to their own town held hostage by politicians and religious fanatics. In a journey interweaving an internal monologue with visual metaphors and personal accounts we go behind the headlines and meet the real people and see the real place that is called Ayodhya in Vani Subramanian's Ayodhya Gatha.

Best Debut Film

Once more we were confronted by some amazing debuts by South Asian filmmakers, which has become somewhat of a tradition at FSA.

Films short-listed for this award were:

Bare by Santana Issar. An honest narrative of coming to terms with an alcoholic father is told simply yet stunningly by juxtaposing home videos from the past with telephone conversations from the present creating a contradiction which throws the underlying emotions in sharp relief. A triumph of imagination over big budget projects.

Nar Narman by Mazhar Zaidi. A bittersweet joyride with a gay poet from Pakistan, the film turns many stereotypes on their head as one gets enamoured by the subject's disarming honesty and joy for life.

Parkash Travelling Cinema by Megha B. Lakhani, for identifying the simple subject of a travelling bioscope existing against all odds in a world of cheap digital technology. A human story of uncomplaining survival which leaves us with hope.

Again, the award had to be split between two films stylistically opposed but compelling in nature.

The winners for the Best Debut Film for FSA 07 are:

A labour of love about the Thami slate-miners in Nepal , a film peppered with cameos and minute details, opening up a world where co-operation is still the way of life. A Life with Slate by Dipesh Kharel

A contemporary retelling of the myth and reality of partition. A reclamation of the past by the present generation to move towards resolution and thus redemption. A film alive with raw cinematic energy, fractured narratives and instinctual editing.
Sara Singh's The Sky Below.

Second Best Film Award

Needless to say, the jury was besieged by some excellent contenders yet again.

The titles on our shortlist included:

Every good marriage begins with tears by Simon Chambers.
The difficult subject of forced marriages amongst British Asians, told from an insider's point of view with respect, humour and insight. The outspoken characters reflect a deep trust in the director who makes himself vulnerable as well. A film which leads to empathy instead of judgment.

We Corner People by Kesang Tseten.
The dilemma of accepting NGO funds or doing creative work is one faced by most South Asian filmmakers. The film provides an example of how it can be subverted as it tells human stories with absence as its narrative.

Motherland Afghanistan by Sedika Mojadidi.
A devastating portrayal of a devastated people. One is taken through the harrowing circumstances of being a woman in Afghanistan with an unflinching eye. The film journeys through generations which return home to more questions than answers.

Now for the award: For the autobiographical tale of courage and quiet determination of a woman who returns to Bangalore to confront her past, her parents and herself. A story told honestly as it unravels, the award goes to the Remembrance of Things Present by Chandra Siddan.

Ram Bahadur Trophy for Best Film

There is no short-list here so we'll go straight to the citation.

For its gritty, humane and shocking storytelling of migrant workers in the ship-breaking industry of Chittagong, this visually gripping narrative goes behind the scenes to lay bare the naked injustice existing amongst us on a daily basis.

The Ram Bahadur Trophy goes to Ironeaters by Shaheen Dill-Riaz