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| BIOGRAPHY |
| She graduated from St. Xavier's College (Mumbai, 1991) with a degree in Psychology and Anthropology. She completed a diploma in Social Communication Media at the Sophia Polytehnic (Mumbai, 1992). She has also received a degree in Film Direction from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, 1997. |
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| FESTIVAL - SCREENINGS |
Vikalp Films For Freedom Festival, Mumbai, 2004
Mumbai Resistance, Reels of Resistance Film Festival, 2004
Quotes From The Earth, New Delhi, 2004
Kara Film Festival, Karachi, 2003
Vatavaran Film Festival, New Delhi, 2003
Women In Film, Substation, Singapore, 2003
Planet In Focus, Toronto, 2003
Other World Film Festival, Hyderabad, 2003 |
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| AWARDS |
| Third Best Film, Indian Documentary Producers' Association, 2003 |
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| FILMOGRAPHY |
2002 Aamakaar (The Turtle People)
2001 Jari Mari: Of Cloth and Other Stories
1997 Work In Progress |
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| CONTACT |
Surabhi Sharma
India
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| COMPOSERS |
| Cinematography: |
Setu, Sudheer Palsane |
| Sound: |
Suresh Rajamani |
| Edited by: |
Sujata Narula |
| Music: |
Rajivan S.A |
| Producer: |
Sunil Shanbag |
| Production: |
Chrysalis Films |
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| ABOUT THE FILM |
How does one tell the story of a community that on the one hand is fighting a political battle to retain control over their resources, and on the other, sees a deep philosophical meaning to its work of conserving Olive Ridley Turtles? The two battles seem to stand apart, but in the minds of the community one battle is meaningless without the other. As a filmmaker the challenge was in retaining the individual resonance of each struggle. Immense care had to be taken to breathe the rhythm that is intrinsic to the village into our edited structure. It was important to represent not just our experience of the village, but how the community wanted to be represented.
Aamakaar tells the story of preservation. A people of a village in North Kerala fight to preserve their village, their shore, and their livelihoods, threatened by sand mining on their estuary. For the last ten years they have been conserving Olive Ridley Turtles that come to their beach to nest. They see the preservation of a species on the verge of extinction as an extension of their fight against the destruction of their estuary, their village, and their lives. The film follows the rhythm of work in the village to unfold this struggle for existence of a species, of a people. |
| CRITICS |
Excerpts from the critics
A brilliantly made documentary, it speaks clearly about how … a small band of determined people could put aside the bad hand being dealt to them and work for the common good. Dawn, Karachi
… a film that leaves one with a feeling that not everything is lost as yet … The Hindu, Chennai
… the film very subtly joins debates raging around conservation perspectives. Down To Earth, New Delhi
… Turtle People juxtaposes the community's struggle against elements threatening their village and its natural resources with the life cycle of the Olive Ridley turtle. |
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