Despite being one of the developed states in India, Punjab still encounters inundated issues, including farmer suicides, female foeticide, increasing cost of seeds and fertilisers etc.
Highlighting such issues through the mode of documentaries is Canada-based filmmaker Anureet Caur, who was in Chandigarh to exhibit two of her films- Kisaan Nashak and Why? We are Killing our Daughters -- at the 32nd Weekend With Filmmaker on Saturday. The event was organised by Chandigarh Creative Cinema Circle in association with Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi at the Government Art Museum Auditorium, Sector 10, Chandigarh.
Her debut documentary ‘Why? We are killing our daughters’, which was released in 2007, is based on female foeticide and exhibits the plight of a girl child. The film received the United Nations Population Funds Laadli Media Awards 2008. Meanwhile, Kisaan Nashak, which was completed in 2014, is based on the effect of neoliberal policies in Punjab.
On being asked about selecting such serious subjects, she replied, “The reason behind making ‘Why? We are Killing our daughters’ is to show the problems faced by girls in India. Being a girl, I always had stress in mind that why we are not accepted as human beings? Though my parents have been quite supportive towards me and my sister, this is something in general I have noticed.”
She added, “With Kisaan Nashak, I wanted to bring forward the difficulties faced by farmers. I have done an intensive research on this and visited nearly 70 villages in Punjab when I started working on this documentary in 2010.” Independent filmmakers undergo lot of hardships in promoting a documentary based on such themes. So, how did you manage to aware people about it? “Indeed, it’s difficult as compared to commercial films, as documentary filmmakers make it on their own. But when the inspiration is to spread a message, then nothing else matters,” she said, adding, “Social media, nowadays, is an excellent platform to make people aware about such films.”
{{/usCountry}}She added, “With Kisaan Nashak, I wanted to bring forward the difficulties faced by farmers. I have done an intensive research on this and visited nearly 70 villages in Punjab when I started working on this documentary in 2010.” Independent filmmakers undergo lot of hardships in promoting a documentary based on such themes. So, how did you manage to aware people about it? “Indeed, it’s difficult as compared to commercial films, as documentary filmmakers make it on their own. But when the inspiration is to spread a message, then nothing else matters,” she said, adding, “Social media, nowadays, is an excellent platform to make people aware about such films.”
{{/usCountry}}Being an MBA and with no background in filmmaking, Anureet is still keen on pursuing her passion in making films. “Since childhood, I was always interested in art. However, we didn’t get much opportunity back then. Now, I am completely focusing on it,” said 35-year-old Anureet, who is currently pursuing masters in fine arts in documentary filmmaking in Canada. She now plans to make a film on the youth now indulging in drugs in Punjab.