KOCHI: The havoc wrought by the floods on the weavers of Chendamangalam is the theme of a 20-minute documentary film, Rhythm of a Village, directed by Arun M, a budding filmmaker. Village and a short film, Cycle, will be screened in the Focus category at the 12th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
The theme of Village was inspired by the struggle of the weavers who incurred a loss of H2 crore of stock which got submerged in flood waters. “Apart from their difficulties, the making of the Chekutty dolls, which were sold to generate funds, was something that inspired me to select this theme,” says Arun. “At this time, many organisations and societies were roped in to help them.”
The documentary also addresses the issues related to the society and features the weavers who are specialised in making innovative designs. Another documentary, The Weaving Dreams, again on the Chendamangalam handloom weavers, which has been directed by Naveen C Wilson, will alos be screened at IDSFFK.
As for Cycle, it talks about a mother-of-two who is a teacher. She tells her family she wants to learn to drive a car and the film shows the reaction of the family members to her wish. Arun is a student of K R Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts. He has done a couple of short films but he has specific interests. “I like watching films which are based on social issues,” he says. “For the documentary on the Chendamangalam handloom weavers, I wanted to include all the minute details of the struggle of the weavers and how they fought against all odds.” Cycle will be screened at 9.45 am and Village at 3.30 pm Nila theatre on Tuesday