Clip from Anand Patwardhan's "War And Peace"

BAY AREA FILM SCREENING

SAT OCT 23 2004 7PM
PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE THEATER
2575 Bancroft Way
Between College and Telegraph
Berkeley, CA 94720
(510) 642-1412

WAR & PEACE / JANG AUR AMAN

Filmed over three tumultuous years in India, Pakistan, Japan and the USA following nuclear tests in the Indian sub-continent - WAR & PEACE / JANG AUR AMAN is an epic documentary journey of peace activism in the face of global militarism and war.

The film is framed by the murder of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, an act whose portent and poignancy remains undiminished half a century later. For the filmmaker, whose family was immersed in the non-violent Gandhian movement, the sub-continent's trajectory towards unabashed militarism is explored with sorrow, though the film captures stories of resistance along the way. Amongst these is a visit to the "enemy country" of Pakistan, where contrary to expectations, Indian delegates are showered by affection not only by their counterparts in the peace movement but by uninitiated common folk.

The film moves on to examine the costs being extracted from citizens in the name of national security. From the plight of residents living near the nuclear test site to the horrendous effects of uranium mining on local indigenous populations, it becomes abundantly clear that, contrary to a myth first created by the U.S.A, there is no such thing as the "peaceful Atom".

WAR & PEACE / JANG AUR AMAN slips seamlessly from a description of home made jingoism to focus on how an aggressive United States has become a role model, its doctrine of "Might is Right" only too well-absorbed by aspiring elites of the developing world. As we enter the 21st century, war has become perennial, enemies are re-invented and economies are inextricably tied to the production and sale of weapons. In the moral wastelands of the world memories of Gandhi seem like a mirage that never was, created by our thirst for peace and our very distance from it.

Anand Patwardhan has been making politically charged documentaries in India for nearly three decades. His films while winning national and international awards have invariably upset the ruling elite, tackling as they do subjects like street dwellers (Bombay our City, 1985), religious fundamentalism (In the Name of God, 1992), the connection between machismo and sectarian violence (Father, Son and Holy War, 1995) and the plight of those displaced in the name of "development" (A Narmada Diary, 1995).


AWARDS:

Grand Prize,
2002 Earth Vision Film Festival (Tokyo)

Best Film,
2002 Mumbai International Film Festival (India)

International Jury Prize,
2002 Mumbai International Film Festival (India)

Critic's Prize (FIPRESCI),
2002 Sydney International Film Festival

Best Film,
2002 Indian Documentary Producers Association's (IDPA)


REVIEWS:



"The film itself is a tour de force, beautifully shot and often darkly funny and much more riveting than the dry subject matter might suggest."
Duncan Campbell - The Guardian, UK

"A frightening examination of the continuing confrontation between nuclear neighbours India and Pakistan. Narrated in quiet yet passionate terms… (War and Peace) is of immense interest and importance."- David Stratton - Variety

"The explosions and the resultant jingoistic euphoria are a function of the frustration and fevered anger of a failed elite, the film argues, backing its argument with vivid images of nationalistic and religious fervor that verge on the surreal." - Ashfaque Swapan, India-West

"Perhaps the most important film in this year's Berlin Film Festival"- Reuters

© Anand Patwardhan