Caught between need and greed
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Water often becomes a tool for systematic exploitation
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Life Source The film festival presented a bouquet of short films, documentaries and feature films
The International Film Festival, Voice From The Waters, organised recently by Water Journeys, Bangalore Film Society and the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore (AFB), presented a bouquet of short films, documentaries and feature films. The festival sought to bring in to sharp focus how even a natural and life-providing substance like water often becomes a tool for systematic exploitation, abuse and even commodification, when man tries to fulfil his greed instead of need.
The festival kicked off with French director Claude Berri's Jean de Florette (1986) and its sequel, Manon des Sources (1986; Manon of the Spring); both the films have won numerous international awards and are grouped among the world's most popular foreign language films ever. Adapted from Marcel Pagnol's novels, they navigate along the lives of the affable hunchback Jean de Florette and his family.
More than one reason
In the first film, the erstwhile taxman, Jean takes up an inheritance at the Provence countryside to forge a new life as a farmer. Soon, his exciting plans of harvesting and rabbit rearing are challenged by water scarcity. His fight is not only against the rain-gods who play truant, but also against scheming men, Le Papet (Yves Montand) and his dim-witted nephew, Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil), who stealthily block a natural spring. Jean's spirited struggle to find water for his farm is narrated with great sensitivity and bears both physical and metaphoric tones. Driven to the limits of physical hardship, mental misery and financial despair, Jean succumbs, much to the delight of Papet and Ugolin. They are, however, not aware that Jean's little daughter, Manon has come to know of their trick and treachery.
The second film continues the saga, where the wicked schemers have prospered by grabbing Jean's land and opening up the spring, while Manon (Emmanuelle Beart) has blossomed into a beautiful and free-spirited shepherd, living in the nearby hills in virtual isolation. Ugolin falls hopelessly in love with her, but Manon has her own plans to settle scores with those who were responsible for her father's death. When she blocks the spring and cuts off water supply not only to Ugolin's farm but the entire town, all hell breaks out. Slowly, new revelations surface leading to Ugolin's suicide. More importantly, Papet shockingly realises that Jean is none but his own son, and Manon, his grand daughter. He bequeaths all his wealth to her and releases himself from life.
Berri's films are a real treat both for the eyes and for the soul. With exceptional performances by the aging, but evergreen Yves Montand, duly supported by Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil, they also score on technical grounds, thanks to captivating photography by Bruno Nuytten, and soulful musical rendition by Jean-Claude Petit.
Man and water
Other films and documentaries shown in the festival — in their own divergent ways and settings — tried to analyse, while talking of an intense relationship between man and water. These included Flueve Senegal: les eaux du partage, taking a journey down the Senegal river to discover development projects in three countries, Eau/Ganga - L'Eau, la vie et l'environment by Paris-based painter and film-maker Viswanadhan, trying to discover a new visual language, Another Revolt by Shriprakash and Words on Water by Sanjay Kak depicting social ramifications of development politics and highlighting the role of people's movement against ill-conceived but massive dam projects, Mariam Chandy Menacherry's Mee Koli providing more than a fleeting glimpse of Mumbai's original inhabitants, the Koli fisherfolk, who are entrenched amidst a sea of change, and Small is Beautiful by Abhivyakti Media for Development, Nasik, taking a positive note of some interesting water management efforts in Gujarat.
While one could appreciate the commitment and enterprise of many of these films, some of them were found wanting in production values and aesthetic presentation. Another disappointing feature was the inadequate audience response for the festival as a whole.
ATHREYA
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Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
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