Lady of the Lake
Director: Haobam Paban Kumar | Duration: 71 minutes | Language: Meitei
‘Lady of the Lake’ is a Manipuri film directed by film-maker Haobam Paban Kumar. It is set in a fishing community living on floating biomass in Loktak Lake in Manipur. They were ousted from their houses by government intervention in 2011 and houses were destroyed and destitute villagers were forcibly relocated. It follows the life of a couple from the community and what happens to their lives after the accidental discovery of a gun.
The screening was followed by a discussion between the director Haobam Paban Kumar and academic Nitya Vasudevan.
About the Director
Haobam Paban Kumar is an Indian filmmaker from the state of Manipur. Kumar's films and documentaries have been screened in several places across the globe.
Kumar's debut feature film Loktak Lairembee (Lady of the lake) won the National Film Award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation at the 64th National Film Awards, 2016.He also won ‘German Star of India’ at the 14th Indian Film Festival in Stuttgart, Germany for the film in 2017. Kumar's documentary ‘AFSPA 1958’ in 2006 was one of the highly critical and widely appreciated films across the globe for his daredevil attempt to showcase the harsh reality of the ill effects of Arms Forces Special Power Act in Manipur state.
About the Discussant
Nitya Vasudevan is a faculty member at the School of Arts and Sciences and joined Azim Premji University in 2020. Before this she worked for five years at Baduku Community College (an initiative of the NGO Samvada, in Bangalore) as faculty at the Centre for Wellness and Justice, and as Convener of the Kanaja: Knowledge and Resource Centre at Samvada. She completed her PhD in Cultural Studies at the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (Bangalore)/Manipal University. Her teaching history includes courses on Literary and Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Research Methodology and courses on Wellness and Justice. She has also been a co-director of the Bangalore Queer Film Festival since 2009.
Connected Exhibits and Programmes
Sounds Tapper - exhibit playing the sound of polluted Bengaluru water
Hydrosocial Cycle - a workshop on human-water interaction by researcher Trevor Birkenholtz