There are films and there are films. Some entertain. Others provoke thinking and a call to action that shouldn’t be missed. The three day film festival and workshop organised by a local college should have been a great opportunity for discussing issues that often remain unspoken and of emotions that are hidden under the demeanour of civility. Several films are listed to be shown in these three days but one of them – Red Ant Dream- ran into trouble with the authorities who wanted to vet the film before clearing it for public viewing. Their consternation is that young, impressionable minds watching the film could be provoked to take up arms in the manner that the tribes in central, eastern and south India have, in the last several decades. The film captures imageries of the Maoist movements that span across large swathes of India. These are mineral rich lands; they are forest belts which have sustained the tribes for centuries. These lands have been exploited by avaricious mining companies. Red Ant Dream records the struggles of people to assert their rights over their land and resources – the only earthly possession they have which are tied to their lives and cultures and which Indian democracy has failed to secure on their behalf.
Films are one medium of expression. In a democracy there should be enough space to screen films that provoke counterpoints and deconstruct the role of government; films which contest claims of development and question models of progress that disempower communities. If the state asserts control over the mind and intellect then a democratic society has the right to stand up and question this high-handedness. Unfortunately there is more silence than noise in Meghalaya. This silence is ominous as it portends the loss of liberal spaces through an unholy collusion between state and society. Democracy requires eternal vigilance. We often lose that which we cherish the most when we do not fight the small battles. Films should provoke young minds to question the incursion of the state into the creative domain.
