Tripura films highlight tribal issues

AGARTALA /NEW DELHI - Tripura’s film industry received a boost when film Yarwang, which means Roots, won the first national award for the state.

President Pratibha Patil handed over the award to Don Bosco priests Joseph Kizhakechennadu and Ft. Joseph Pulinthanath, the producer and director of the film at the 56th National Film Awards (2008) in New Delhi on March 19 this year.

‘Yarwang’ meaning roots is a feature film in Tripura’s tribal language Kokbarak, which highlights issues related to the tribal community.

The 95-minute film tells the story of large-scale displacement of tribal people that took place in the northeastern state when a hydel project was set up there in the late 1970s.

A national award to Yarwang opens new vistas for regional cinema, which can project the indigenous way of life of the northeast.

Speaking to ANI, National Award Winning Director, Joseph Pulinthanath said filmmaking would generate employment in the region.

“Unfortunately, there isn’t much film making take place in the region accepts for a couple of states. But I think if filmmaking comes to the region in a serious manner it can benefit us in many ways,” Pulinthanath said.

“Not only on unfold stories of these beautiful region will be seen by people but to be practical it will provide employment to numerous people who would like to get employed,” he added.

Yarwang has been screened in India and major cities around the world including New York, Brisbane, Moscow, Taipai and Dhaka.

It has also won a Special Jury Mention Award at the 3rd Eye Asian Film festival held in Mumbai in 2008.

Actress Meena Debbarma said people of Tripura are no way behind

” After we received the national award it has been proved that the people of Tripura are no way backward, infact we are as good as the people of those places where big films are produced. Not only films, in different fields we are as good as the people of mainland. We are no way behind rather I believed we are at par,” said Debbarma.

“Realizing the power of this medium the youth are now taking up this profession. And it is a fact that one can express oneself, a crisis or emotion better through this medium. And recently the National Award that Father Joseph Pulinthant’s film “Yarwng” received will surely encourage them to improve their work,” said Biplab Goswami, film Director.

The technical team of Yarwng came from Kerala while the support team was from Guwahati.

The cast, however, was made up mostly of indigenous people who were victims of displacement and had no experience whatsoever in acting.

Indeed! Cinema can play an important role in raising issues of concern to the northeast. (ANI)