Remembering Chalam
Bennurkar
Film screening and
interaction
On 28th May, Sunday from
4 pm onwards;
At Maniyammai Arangu,
Periyar Thidal, Chennai
Organized by MARUPAKKAM
and Periyar Self Respect Media
Films:
1) All About Our Famila
2) Kutty Jappanin Kuzhanthaigal
Guest speakers:
Poarkodi Natarajan, asst.
professor
Amshan Kumar, filmmaker
Pralayan, playwright / director
RV Ramani, filmmaker
RR Srinivasan, filmmaker
Ajayan Bala, writer
Pon Sudha, filmmaker
We welcome you all!
Kutty Japanin Kuzhandaigal
Children of Mini Japan
Tamil Sub titled in
English
Duration: 60 min, colour
Production: Janamadhyam
Script and Direction: Chalam Bennurakar
Cinematography: R V Ramani
Audiography: Suresh Rajamani
Editing: Jacob Thottathil, Amitabh Chakraborthy
Synopsis : Sivakasi is a small town in Southern
Tamilnadu. It is from here and the surrounding villages that 70% of the
requirements of the match box industry and 90% of the fireworks industry are
produced.
The owners of the match
box and fireworks factories proudly refer to their town as “Mini Japan” , a
self-employed town. This town also prints millions of garish calendars and
elction posters which are used all over India.
Sivakasi has another
dubious distinction. It is the single largest concentration of child labour in
the world. Nearly 100,00 children, mostly girl children, are employed in
Sivakasi to meet the demands of production.
It is these children aged
between 4 and 16 who are the protagonists of the film,
The film is an attempt to
portray the dailiness of their, the production process and the complex
socio-political reasons that contribute to such a large employment of children
in this area.
Without taking recourse
to voice over commentary, the film tries to weave together various episodes by
interspersing Villupadal, a traditional performance which celebrates the
childhood of Krishna. It is the Villupadal which forms the edifice of the
film’s critique of post independent India’s “tryst with destiny” - a nightmare
called progress through rapid industrialization.
The filmmaker: Chalam Bennurakar was a college dropout and
worked as a signboard painter for some time before he became part of CIEDS Collective and Vimochana in
Bangalore.
He was a deeply
passionate and intense person and straddled the world of politics, literature,
theatre and cinema, locally, nationally and internationally.
As part of CIEDS
Collective, he had initiated Janamadhyam, a screening network and production
infrastructure for grassroot action which he continued informally even after he
left the Collective through Touring Talkies.
He contributed to the
film society movement in Bangalore through the Bangalore Film Society and
Odessa in Kerala by creating a space for young film makers to show case their
work. Sakshi, was a first of a kind initiative that he started in 1998 to
showcase work on documentaries all over the world and create a platform for
Independent Documentary Film Makers in India.
Chalam is well known for
his literary writings in different genres – short stories, essays, poems,
translations which have been published in journals and magazines, the recent
being 2 essays from Asking, We Walk: the south as new political imaginary ed by
Corinne Kumar and published by Kuvempu Basha Bharti.
Chalam Bennurkar
Filmography
1. Kutty Japanin
Kuzhandaigal (Children of Mini Japan) – on Child Labour in Sivakasi
2. On Latur – the Earthquake Disaster in Latur, Maharashtra
3. All About My Famila – on the Transgender Community
4. Naavu Yeravaru - on the Yerava Community
5. Short Poetic Films on
Women and Development; on Women against War for Peace; on Women in
Prostitution; on Dowry and Related Forms of Violence; on Trafficking; on HIV
and AIDs; on US War Crimes et al
(for the Courts of Women – an initiative of Corinne Kumar)
6. Bishaar Blues - on the
Fakirs of Calcutta
( Co produced and worked with Amitabh Chakraborthy)
7. Work in Progress Film –
* On the Dongri Garsias
* On the Burns Survivors for Vimochana, a forum for women’s rights
