Have You Seen the Arana
In a world that has grown more dynamic and uncertain, where diversity and differences make way for standardisation and uniformity, this film explores the effects of a rapidly changing landscape on people’s lives and livelihoods. Set in Wayanad, part of the fragile ecosystem of the western mountain range in South India, the film takes you on a journey through a region witnessing drastic transformation in the name of ‘development’. An adivasi woman’s concern over the disappearance of medicinal plants from the forest, a local farmer’s commitment to growing traditional varieties of rice organically and a cash crop cultivator’s struggle to survive amidst farmers’ suicides, offer fresh insights into shifting relations between people, their knowledge systems and the environment. Interwoven into these contemporary narratives is an ancient tribal creation myth that traces the passage of their ancestors across this land, recalling past ways of reading and mapping the terrain. As hills flatten, forests disappear, and traditional knowledge systems are forgotten, the film reminds us that this diversity could disappear forever, to be replaced by monotonous and unsustainable alternatives.
About the Filmmaker
Sunanda Bhat's interest in non-fiction is to represent people in an intricate and stratified society, while bringing in textures of landscape through layers of their lives. Her first documentary “Bol Ayesha Bol” [Speak Ayesha Speak] premiered at the International Film Festival, Amsterdam. “Ningal aranaye kando?” [Have you seen the arana?], a film on the ecologically sensitive region of Wayanad, won critical acclaim with the Golden Conch for Best Documentary and Best Cinematography and Best Sound awards at the Mumbai International Film Festival; John Abraham National award at Signs Film Festival in Kerala, Mark Haslam Award for Best Documentary at the Planet in Focus Festival, Toronto, ‘Monde en Regards’ award at the Jean Rouch Film Festival, Paris, a Special Mention at idsffk among others. It was the opening film at ‘Cine-debates’ at Muse ́e de l’homme in Paris and was featured at the India Film Week at Metropolis Kino, an art-house cinema theatre, in Germany.
About the Filmmaker
The overarching theme of Samira Agnihotri’s research is ‘listening ecology,’ which aims to draw attention to diverse voices, both human and non-human. In doing so, it encourage people to listen more to the sounds of nature around them, and to each other. Her work crosses disciplinary boundaries, from birdsong and ecology and bioacoustics to anthropology and linguistics. Her work is embedded in the eco-cultural landscape of the BR Hills, where she has worked since 2004 in collaboration with the Soliga people.