AWFF 2019: Sisterhood on show via documentaries Daughters of the Polo God, Roshan and Mani

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Day 1 of IAT’s fifteenth Asian Women’s Film Festival (AWFF) 2019 showcased Indian documentary movies beneath a curated section aptly entitled ‘Sisterhood’ — a 20-minute student documentary Roshan and Mani directed via Rishaya Palkhivala, and a 33-minute Manipuri documentary, Daughters of the Polo God, directed through Roopa Barua.

Roshan and Mani is a poignant perception into the lives of elderly Parsi sisters, Roshan and Mani, and the ordinary trials and tribulations of residing together as inevitable mortality loom nearer than ever. A smooth movie that mixes humor with gravitas, the movie seamlessly stitched a mosaic of casual interactions among the 2 sisters and the offscreen filmmaker.

PRATEEK RAWAT

Day 1 of IAT’s 15th Asian Women’s Film Festival (AWFF) 2019 showcased Indian documentary films below a curated section aptly entitled ‘Sisterhood’ — a 20-minute scholar documentary Roshan and Mani directed utilizing Rishaya Palkhivala, and a 33-minute Manipuri documentary, Daughters of the Polo God, directed using Roopa Barua.

Roshan and Mani is a poignant perception into the lives of two aged Parsi sisters, Roshan and Mani, and the everyday trials and tribulations of residing together as inevitable mortality loom closer than ever. A gentle movie that combines humor with gravitas, the movie seamlessly stitched mosaic of informal interactions between the two sisters and the offscreen filmmaker.

Palkhivala gives touching vignettes of the ordinary lives of the two protagonists in which one sister is progressively dropping her grasp on her gift. At the same time, the alternative tends to her and the daily chores of the household. “She recollects the past, but nothing of the prevailing,” says the younger about the elder. What comes strikingly via to the target audience is the childlike innocence of the aged as they banter and argue; however, love every different amidst all the regrets that amass within the twilight of the life lived and the moments forwent.

On the other hand, documentary filmmaker Roopa Barua’s Daughters of the Polo God is a superbly shot and coronary heart-warming narration of young Manipuri women inside the nation’s polo recreation in conjunction with the plight of the ponies in the state due to ecological disruptions.

Beginning with a long shot of the breath-taking herbal beauty of Manipur and remaining with an inspiring and touching lengthy shot of a younger Manipuri polo participant taking walks along the serpentine road along with her loved pony, the movie follows the episodic journey of lady gamers of the kingdom and the records of polo because it ties with the present.

From the historical beginnings of polo or Sagol Kangjei (as it’s miles known as in Manipuri) as a wartime peace exercise in the course of the Kangleipak nation to the modern proceedings of the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association, the movie attracts historical, ecological, cultural and social connections among the game, the ponies and the network of the kingdom.

In fact, the present-day version of polo is attributed to have originated in Manipur, which additionally homes the oldest polo floor in the globe, The Maple Kangjebung at Imphal, and additionally a temple dedicated to the polo god, Iboudhou Marking.

Filmmaker Barua become joined the screening through Some Roy, manufacturer of the Hunter! Equine undertaking works to conserve ponies in the nation, and Lt Gen Arun Kumar Sahni, vice-president of the India Polo Association. Roy keenly replied to questions from the target market about the conservation challenge and the destiny of the ponies inside the country these days. The revived hobby in Manipur in modern-day polo, alongside the involvement of ladies and collaborations with global teams and polo institutions, has helped maintain the hastily declining population of ponies.

Reflecting on a question approximately the viable cause at the back of the heroism of Manipuri girls throughout systems from the iconic Meira Paibi protest to the need of Iron Sharmila, Barua conjectures, “I suppose that the Manipuri ladies are so heroic due to the gender equality in Manipur society that is not like anywhere else. I additionally think that the huge sports activities tradition of which ladies are a vital part also promotes their heroism.”

Some Roy introduced, “There isn’t any regular heavy industry in Manipur. There are simplest cottage industries especially, and women control these industries. Hence, they manipulate the cash, so I think it is easy to infer that they thus keep an important function in Manipuri society.”

The section of the pageant over again harkens again to the theme of the pageant for 2019: The Female Gaze. The documentaries form a curious and eclectic coupling through the lens of a rising and an established filmmaker — from the personal and personal micro-narrative of the elderly sisters to the public and collective narrative of the ladies polo players, the notion of sisterhood and lady bonds emerges because the binding cohesive force for the way for girls to move ahead in society, uplifting and assisting each different with aid from allies against the belittling hegemony of patriarchy.

AWFF 2019: Sisterhood on show via documentaries Daughters of the Polo God, Roshan and Mani 1

The Asian Women’s Film Festival is held from five-7 March 2019 at the India International Centre in Delhi. The subject matter of the 15th version is ‘The Female Gaze.’ The competition will display over 50 films from 20 countries through lady filmmakers in numerous formats, at the side of workshops, panels, and an art installation.