Reality Check

Documentary Film Screenings

An NCPA Presentation in collaboration with Cinema Collective

The Reality Check film series promotes and encourages documentary filmmakers in India whose work reflects life and culture in the country today in a thoughtful blend of creativity and integrity.

The Dooars World (47 mins)
English, Hindi & Bengali with English Subtitles

Nestled in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, brimming with extraordinary wildlife, are the Dooars (derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Dooar’, meaning door), a series of geographical corridors between India and Bhutan. From the elusive red panda and the Himalayan salamander to the majestic golden langur and the iconic Asian one-horned rhino, this region is home to breathtaking biodiversity. Immerse yourself in stunning natural behaviour and rare footage of the lives of these creatures through this documentary, which showcases majestic hornbills gliding through the canopy, the stealthy presence of the king cobra and the delicate fluttering of 300 species of butterflies in all their natural grandeur.

This is a wildlife documentary; but it is not a documentary about wildlife alone. It is a compelling narrative that explores the blurred boundary between humans and our more-than-human counterparts, and the various manifestations of coexistence within this remarkable ecosystem in its purest, most unfiltered form.

Directed by Shaon Pritam Baral
Narrated by Dia Mirza

Abundance: Living With a Forest (22 mins)
Lotha Naga with English Subtitles

Nagaland in northeast India is part of the Indo-Myanmar Biodiversity Hotspot, where 60 per cent of the population depends on foraging and jhum cultivation, both intrinsically linked to the forest. Foraging is a community practice where traditional knowledge and history of the land are passed down. In recent decades, jhum cultivation has been recognised as a significant part of indigenous knowledge systems.

Abundance: Living with a Forest follows Zareno, a Lotha forager in the forest of Khumtsü, and traces foraged edible plants as they make their way to the market in the town of Wokha. The film gestures to an impending loss that indigenous communities encounter across the world. The price of development and progress is the slow obliteration of connections with land and other beings. Abundance: Living with a Forest captures the commitment of foragers and community members to work towards renewal of indigenous values, courage and sustainable practices.

Produced & Directed by Dolly Kikon

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session.

Entry free on a first come, first served basis. NCPA Members will get preferential seating till 6.20 pm.