"Tales from the Margins" stirs MRFD audience
New Delhi. 18 Nov 2006.

Twelve women strip themselves naked in front of Kangla fort in protest, for over six years a young woman has been on a fast-to-death demanding justice and a mother laments the disappearance of her son…these are tales intimately known to most Manipuris. Why are the women of Manipur using their bodies both as their last weapon and why have their bodies become their battlefields?

These are questions that "Tales from the Margins", a documentary directed and produced by Kavita Joshi, seeks to answer. This documentary is one of her twin projects on women and the conflict situation in Manipur, the other being "Untitled: 3 Narratives" (2005 / 17 mins). During a screening at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, organized by Manipur Research Forum, Delhi (MRFD), "Tales from the Margins" took the viewers on a silent journey of reflection.

The screening of the documentary was followed by a discussion on the impact of the visuals and textual content of the film. Yengkhom Jilangamba, Assistant Editor of Eastern Quarterly, initiated the discussion. He began by opining that " Untitled: 3 Narratives" is more direct in conveying the message the director had in her mind.

He said that though "Tales from the Margins" does not fail to stir the consciousness of the viewers, its narrative should have engaged more at trying to build a larger canvas in motion. He felt that a more complete and comprehensive picture could have been presented by providing adequate information on the history of women's movement in the Manipur.

During the discussion, several members of the audience expressed the view that the documentary serves the purpose of highlighting "state repression" and at the same time dealing with individual cases such as that of Manorama and Sanamacha.

Moreover, it brings to light various extreme forms of protest. The audience felt that the documentary is successful in its attempt to deepen the understanding of socio-political complexities in the region.

One of the members of the audience asked Kavita Joshi why she did not include views of the representatives of the armed forces. She replied that the decision to exclude the dominant view was deliberate and she did not see the need to take the opinion of people who are in "denial modes".

Kavita Joshi's "Untitled: 3 Narratives" has won several awards - Best Film on Human Rights, Special Citation and Technical Excellence in Editing at the 18 th UGC CEC Awards India and third Best Film at VIBGYOR 2006, Kerala.

Check out the photos from that discussion here.