LC
Events
19 Nov 2018
In the late 1990s, in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, Dalit Panther activists spread the revolutionary message of Ambedkar, the historical leader of Dalit emancipation. Their travels, through the slums and villages of a region in social upheaval, account for an unprecedented political moment. The words, gestures, expectations, and frustrations of this revolt reveal the Dalits’ urgent desire to defend their right to live with dignity, even though humiliation, exploitation, and caste violence remain ever-present.
Sangharsh takes us deep into the lifeworld of Dalit Panther activists in the late 1990s, in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. The film follows three activists on a rough journey through slums and villages, where they spread the revolutionary messages of Ambedkar, the first leader to fight for Dalit emancipation. It is an emotional journey into their struggle to assert their humanity, when humiliation, exploitation, and violence remain ever-present.
Nicolas Jaoul is an anthropologist at CNRS, specializing in the politics of the disadvantaged in India, particularly the Ambedkarist movement of the Dalits against the caste society. He studied under Jean Rouch in Nanterre and leads the seminar “Images of the Political” at EHESS, dedicated to the links between cinema and political movements.
Technical details:
A film by: Nicolas Jaoul (France)
Cinematography, sound: Nicolas Jaoul
Editing: Gilles Volta
Production/distribution: Sister Productions, Berson (France)
astrig@sisterprod.com