"Artivism and India" is a documentary film that questions, if there was a global "artivism" (art-activism) movement budding, such as in Colombia as a means to protest civil war or in Tunisia with the Arab Spring, then what does it look like in India? 

 

During the two months our film crew spent with the students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) we were introduced to a web of community-focused artists and let their stories lead us across the country. This led us to Kolkata where we found Performance Independent, the founders of Kolkata International Performance Art Festival (KIPAF) and followed their responses to the country’s political situation through performance art. We then met Samuel John, a revolutionary theatre performer from Punjab and the protagonist of the film Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan. We followed Samuel to Punjab, where he introduced us to Bant Singh, a Dalit farmer and revolutionary singer whose daughter was gang raped by upper caste men. When he fought back, he was beaten so severely his arms and legs had to be amputated - but he did not stop his protest. Instead he continued to sing out his revolutionary songs stating, “I still have my voice.” 

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Though "Artivism and India" documents art-activism, it is a work of art-activism itself. By the process of travelling and documenting, we built a cross-border artivism collective through which we continue to collaborate. However, because of the sensitivity of the content, the film release has been put on hold until further notice. For now, you can find the trailer and exerts from the film here.

 

If you would like to collaborate or help with funding, please reach out on pi4br4r@gmail.com

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