The Indian film "Dark Wind" was held at the Beijing International Hotel
On April 20, the Indian film "Dark Winds" directed by Nila Madha Panda held a press conference at the Beijing International Hotel, and the film was shortlisted for the "Temple of Heaven Award" in the main competition unit of the 8th Beijing International Film Festival. Director Nila Madha Panda attended the press conference. Wu Manling, executive committee member of the "Temple of Heaven Award" of the Beijing International Film Festival, presented a certificate of finalist for the main creator.
For this visit to China, director Nila Madha Panda expressed her gratitude and thanked everyone for bringing his work to Beijing, where the film found its own foothold.
Dark Winds tells the story of a village called MCA in the Indian state of Rajasthan. MCA was once known for its farming. Today, however, people living in MCA have forgotten the smell of rain falling on the soil. The lack of precipitation has created poverty among farmers, who choose to borrow money from banks but are in a debt crisis. The blind father, Ho Du, and his own son were threatened by the same pressure. Through the contract between the bank manager and the blind old man, the film tells the sad story of two families who face a real problem of social poverty.
The film has no vivid tones, makes extensive use of long shots and natural light, and shows us a real Indian village in a serious narrative. The director clearly pointed out the causes of people's poverty and suffering, namely climate change. One family endured drought while another had to face the flooding from the hurricane. The source of their tragedy is a natural disaster. Natural disasters such as these have devastated agriculture, plunging people into hunger and poverty until they take their lives.
Director Panda's films are mostly about his concern for society and the life around him. Climate change, child labour, education, AIDS, health, water issues and gender equality are all themes in his films. In 2010, he directed his first feature film, I Am Karam, which won 32 international awards and a national award.
Compared to other films that focus on social issues, Panda said: "This is a film with a modern theme, something that is happening in many countries in the world. Due to our current economic and social development, the large amount of carbon dioxide emissions has led to global warming and the occurrence of many extreme phenomena. I often say that this film is very important for this era, which is the problem that modern human beings are facing, such as the acid rain problem caused by warming climate, which is the primary problem we have to face. And our current world is unbalanced, and this movie is about how a blind person can survive in such an environment. ”
Speaking about the inspiration for the film, Panda said he was impressed by the impact of warming when he saw data in 2006 showing that many villages in India were submerged. "At the time in 2006 I saw two villages being flooded, and I followed this for five years, and by 2012 seven villages had been flooded," he said. So I think it's important to tell you a story about what's going on with all of humanity, because some people just don't believe in the consequences of warming. ”
Last year, "Dark Wind" won the Special Jury Award of the Indian National Film Awards, which is known as the "Oscar of India", and this year it was successfully shortlisted for the "Temple of Heaven Award" in the main competition unit of the North Film Festival. It is hoped that this film will also win at the Beijing International Film Festival.