6 YARDS TO DEMOCRACY
Indien 2007 – Director: Nishtha Jain – Co-Director: Smriti Nevatia – Original language: Hindi – Subtitles: English – Length: 55 min.
During an election campaign in one of the poorer districts of the North Indian city of Lucknow tragedy struck. A politician had come up with the novel idea of giving out free saris in order to attract voters. An ensuing stampede led to the deaths of 22 women and the injury of hundreds more. 6 Yards to Democracy takes this misfortunate incident as a starting point for an investigation of the surrounding issues for women on the margins of Indian society.
While economic progress is sweeping across India, the women of Lucknow are forced out of their homes to make way for new apartments. Their pleas for access to such basic utilities as clean water go unanswered. Jain and Nevatia's film combines raw footage of the so-called "sari stampede" with interviews with the women who witnessed it. Poignant images of colourful saris hanging on a washing line fluttering in the breeze combine with testimonies of women fighting to preserve their dignity and rights in a powerful film which will remain with you long after you have left the cinema.
Writer: Nishtha Jain, Smriti Nevatia. Camera: Deepti Gupta. Sound: Niraj Gera, Anita Kushwaha. Editing: Vipin Sharma. Music: Mangesh Dhadke. Production: raintree films. Producer: Nishtha Jain, smriti Nevatia.
