Majha House fest concludes with screening of 4 poignant short films

Tribune News Service

Neha Saini

Amritsar, March 24

The concluding day of the Majha House Literature, Performance and Film Festival in collaboration with Kuldeep Nayar Trust, Film South Asia and IAFA held four film screenings, with short films throwing light on varied subjects, all central in our run-up to evolve as a progressive society. The Thakar Singh Art Gallery transformed into a hub of discussions and shared emotions as the day began with the screening of ‘Before You Were My Mother’, a story about a daughter trying to trace the past of her mother, her dreams, hopes and secrets. Kathmandu-based documentary maker Prasuna Dongol’s exploratory film tries to come to terms with the differences she has with her mother and seeks to define her own life. In the backdrop of Manipur, her mother’s home, the film begins as a family documentary, soon turns into a portrait of a woman, who has lived through the uncertainty of her times, and later, experiences the same fears and anxiety as she turns a mother. It was screened at the Film South Asia 2022.

The second film of the day was ‘Gay Matrimony India’ by Debalina, a film about three characters in search of a same-sex spouse. In a world where LGBTQ+ community is still struggling for equal rights and legalisation of same-sex marriage, the film explores themes of social stigma, prejudice and challenges faced by people looking for same-sex spouse.

The next one, ‘Ghar Ka Pata’ by Kashmiri filmmaker Madhulika Jalil, was about longing, transience and memory —- the story of a young Kashmiri woman finding her way home. It was a theme that resonated with the Amritsar audience, majority of whom have grown up hearing stories of displacement by their parents, grandparents and relatives. The film is shown from the perspective of a displaced family, with one generation spending its life in moving and struggling to rebuild life, with the hope of going back to their roots one day, while another generation grows up with a sense of rootlessness. Madhulika has documented her own quest to find the home of her childhood, in Rainawari, Srinagar that their family had to leave due to the violence against Kashmiri Pandits in 1990.

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