Gender Rights
• Tied in a Knot: Narratives from Bride-Seeking Regions of India / 58 minS / India / 2013
Hindi / Bengali / Odia / English (with English subtitles) • Parts of North India are facing an acute shortage of brides due to years of girl dis-preference there. Men are forced to travel to far-off poorer regions of India to find wives. Who are these men seeking wives from elsewhere? Are the women trafficked for forced marriage or not? This film provides a unique look into the everyday harsh reality of such brides: the stigmatization, racism, rejection and abuse they face from conjugal families and communities and how they try to resist it. It bares the everyday suffering endured by lonely brides when they find themselves married into totally alien cultures and environments.
• Delhi Bound For Work / 58 minS / India & Canada / 2009
Hindi / Kharia / English (with English subtitles) • Large numbers of young women from rural parts of Eastern India now migrate to the cities to escape poverty and find employment as domestic workers. The film provides a platform for the domestic workers as they share their anxieties and hopes for a better life whilst describing the circumstances of their working and personal lives. The complex nature of their migration, exploitation by placement agencies and employers and treatment by their families and communities is also unraveled in this documentary.
• Best Before Date: Struggles With Infertility and Childlessness / 49 Mins / Canada / 2010
English • Best Before is a semi-autobiographical documentary in which the filmmaker, Reena Kukreja and her husband set the camera on themselves and others like them to make sense of what it means to be confronted with infertility and childlessness. Recognizing that there is a singular lack in bringing out the emotions and feelings of women and couples faced with infertility and possible childlessness, the film offers an intimate glimpse into the world of those coping and coming to terms with it.
• Coming Together / 19 Min / UNDP - CREDA (2004)
41% of the rural poor in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, India live below the poverty line and over 81% of the women there are unlettered. The film highlights the initiatives taken by rural women in these parts to obtain the entitlements that are really due to them.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Against All Odds / 40 Mins • Changing Mindsets / 22 Mins
Produced for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Asia Pacific Region, these three films document the processes set into motion by the UNDP’s South Asia Poverty Alleviation Programme (SAPAP) in poor rural communities in South Asia. The three films, aimed at different target audiences and distribution channels, capture the different contours of the programme in six South Asian countries.
Against All Odds and Changing Mindsets have been translated into 6 South Asian languages, broadcast in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives. They are being used at the grassroots level by women’s organizations in the SAARC countries as a discussion tool for mobilizing women to participate in local governance and fight for their entitlements.
• No Looking Back / 12 Mins / all produced for UNOPS – UNDP (2002)
These three films document the processes set into motion by the UNDP’s South Asia Poverty Alleviation Programme (SAPAP) in poor rural communities in South Asia. The three films, aimed at different target audiences and distribution channels, capture the different contours of the programme in six South Asian countries.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Voices from the Margin / 24 min. / UNDP- South Asia Poverty Alleviation Programme (2001)
The film documents the precise ways in which a grassroots level movement initiated by UNDP-SAPAP has empowered women in 3 drought prone districts of Andhra Pradesh, India.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Money in My Pocket / 25 min. / Peoples’ Environment Development Organisation, Rajasthan and Swedish International Development Agency (1990)
The film explores the dynamics behind the formation of micro credit groups and seed banks amongst rural tribal women in the Bicchiwara region in Rajasthan. It documents the various efforts by the empowered women to free themselves from debt and hunger.
Direction: Reena Kukreja
• We will build this wall! / 26 min. / Jagori & Indo-Dutch Environmental Programme (1988)
The film examines the barriers faced by women construction workers in getting trained as masons. The film documents the growing awareness of these women and their efforts to mobilize themselves to overcome these barriers.
Direction: Reena Kukreja
Child Rights and Protection
• From Work To School / 20 Min / UNDP - CREDA (2003)
The film examines the dynamics of involving rural communities in eliminating child labour by setting up “Community Cottage Schools” which provide accelerated learning to children removed from work. It outlines ways in which this initiative has been successful in mainstreaming around 45,000 children into the formal education system.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Seeds of Burden / 25m min. / UNDP (2000)
In the rural areas of Andhra Pradesh, India, a large number of girls have dropped out of schools to work in cotton-seed fields. This has derailed all initiatives to increase school enrolment of girls in the State. The film examines the dynamics of this process and highlights some possible strategies for reversing this trend.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Little Steps, A Giant Leap / 27 min. / Institute for Juvenile Justice, New Delhi (1999)
The film examines the plight of the street children working in unsafe work environments in New Delhi, India with no access to health-care, shelter or education. The initiatives taken by an NGO, Prayas, to provide them a safe haven for meeting peers, getting some literacy or basic health care is also presented in the film.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Childhood Regained ! / 28 min. / CREDA (1998)
Child labour has been rampant in the carpet industry of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, India. “Childhood Regained” questions the popular notion that poverty forces parents to send their children to work. It examines the dynamics that force children into working and also highlights some initiatives to withdraw children from the looms and send them to schools.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Reaching the Unreached ! / 28 Mins./ UNDP & M.V. Foundation
It is commonly believed that poor parents in rural areas are not interested in educating their children. This is simply not true. The M.V. Foundation based in Andhra Pradesh has demonstrated that poor parents are willing to make enormous sacrifices to send their children to school if they are convinced that their children are learning. “Reaching the Unreached” offers an overview of this programme.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
Social Justice
• Bridging Distances / 27 min. / CUSO (1996)
The film draws parallels between the experience of First Nations in Canada and indigenous communities in Central and South America on human rights, environment, and culture. It highlights the initiatives taken by them to end their political and cultural isolation by forging links at a global level with similarly affected communities.
Direction: Reena Kukreja
• Making Connections / 27 min. / Kingston District Labour Council (1995)
The film explores the history of the labour movement in South-eastern Ontario, Canada from the turn of the 20th century. With the target audience of school children in mind, the film uses songs, street plays and the narratives of ‘old-timers’ in the labour unions to bring out the various dimensions of the labour movement and also pose questions about its future directions.
Direction: Reena Kukreja
• Sand In My Shoes / 54 min. / Human Rights Office, Queens University, Kingston, (1994)
The documentary investigates the subtle, everyday acts of racism experienced by students, faculty and staff belonging to Visible Minorities at Queens University. It also explores the racism inherent in the way the curriculum is structured.
Co-direction: Reena Kukreja & Valerie Westgate
• Tear It Up/ 28 min. / Kingston Global Community Centre (1993)
The film made just after the NAFTA agreement was signed focuses on the implications for the Canadian labour force by the relocation of the big industries to Mexico. It highlights the impact such a move has had on the Mexican environment and on the labour force.
Direction: Reena Kukreja
Environment and Sustainable Development
• Naka, Naka, DuPont Naka / 24 min. / The Other Media Group, New Delhi (1998)
In 1987, DuPont, the American corporate giant, finalized its plans for setting up a nylon production plant in Goa, India. In 1995, it was forced to abandon its plans despite having invested considerable money. The reason: a sustained agitation by the local people to protect their environment. “Naka, Naka” examines the dynamics of the entire movement from the villagers’ point of view.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Mountain Hymns / 25 min./Indian Environmental Society & The Royal Norwegian Embassy (1997)
The documentary examines how the village communities, with specific reference to women, in the mountainous province of Himachal Pradesh, India have evolved an elaborate system of rituals and cultural practices to manage their natural resources, nurture their environment and ensure its sustainability.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Raising Voices / 27 min. / Indian Environment Society & The Royal Norwegian Embassy (1995)
The film documents the initiatives taken by village communities living in the Angul-Talcher industrial belt of Orissa, India to protect their land and water sources from being irreversibly polluted. The film focuses on the lead taken by the village women in leading this agitation. It demonstrates how awareness can lead to creative participation in the process of development.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Whose River is it Anyway? / 26 min. / Council of Professional Social Workers, District Action Group & The Royal Norwegian Embassy (1994)
The film examines the extensive industrial pollution caused by coal and bauxite mining, thermal power plants and aluminum production in the Angul-Talcher area of Orissa, India. The film visits villages at various points along the river Brahmani and records the ill-effects on the health of villagers as well as the increasing hardships faced by women.
Co-direction: Partha Sarkar & Reena Kukreja
• Seedling / 20 min. / Peoples’ Environment Development Organisation, Rajasthan and Swedish International Development Agency (1991)
Bicchiwara region in Rajasthan, India has had its forest cover reduced drastically over the last 30 years leading to denuded lowlands, increased flash floods and soil erosion. The film documents grassroots initiatives, especially undertaken by women, to reverse the ecological damage and to regain control over communally owned forests and grasslands here.
Direction: Reena Kukreja
Culture and Tradition
• Chanderi / 9 min. / UNIDO & Department of Handlooms, Madhya Pradesh, India (2004)
This promotional film provides a glimpse of a centuries old weaving style that has made the small town of Chanderi famous. Named Chanderi after the town itself, the fabric is famous for its sheer quality and exquisite workmanship.
• Rhythm of Change / 15 min. / REFRO (1996)
The film documents the tradition of the Chau dance in the eastern part of India. This dance form with a strong martial arts component has however witnessed dwindling patronage over the years. The film also looks at various attempts undertaken to preserve and pass on this tradition to the future generations.
• Wall Paintings of Punjab / 25 min. / Punjab Film Development Corporation (1990)
Punjab in the 17th and 18th century was a nucleus for Mughal miniature and wall paintings. The themes, ranging from folk to the religious, adorned the walls of palaces, temples and homes of traders. This films documents the works that have survived till this age as also the conservation efforts.
Training Modules
• Developing Clusters / 31 Mins / UNIDO (2001)
The film highlights UNIDO’s initiatives at strengthening certain small-scale industrial and artisanal clusters in India. The small-scale sector in India is going through a critical phase because the WTO regulations with the removal of quota restrictions and tariff barriers will get implemented in another 2 years. UNIDO, through its intervention, hopes to build up a replicable model for the small-scale sector so that it can survive in such an environment.
• World Within Reach / 50 min. / Seven Ontario Universities including Queens University, York University, University of Toronto, Ryerson and University of Trent (1995)
This 6 part film is aimed at Canadian students going abroad for academic exchange programmes and internships. Each film is meant to act as a ready reckoner for students on topics like how to cope culture shock and with foreign study culture, amongst others.
The films have been extensively marketed to Universities in USA and Canada for use in departure orientation sessions.
• Academic Environment / 40 min. / Instructional Development Centre and The International Centre, Queens University, Kingston, Canada. (1995)
The 5 part film is primarily meant for international students coming to Canada for higher education. It focuses on issues commonly faced by them in a new academic environment.
• Eye Camps – A Training Manual / 35 Mins / DANPCB & Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (1995)
The 6 part training film is aimed at health care personnel intending to set up cataract removal eye camps in rural areas. It details the various processes involved in running an efficient and infection free eye camps.
• Soft Landings / 5 part series – 30 min. each / International Centre, Queens University and Cablenet 13 Community Television (COGECO) (1993)
These orientation films are aimed at International students coming to study in Canada for the first time. Culture shock, Job Search, how to access the health services, and school system for children are some of the topics covered in these films.
• Mukhai’s Story / 25 min. / DANIDA (1992)
DANIDA in collaboration with the Government of India has initiated several path-breaking programmes in the field of eye-care. One very innovative programme has involved school teachers in the routine screening of school-going children for poor vision. Mukhai’s Story is a documentation of the system that DANIDA has evolved.
(The film and its newer language versions are being used extensively by DANIDA to train teachers in India, South East Asia and many countries in Africa.)