Under Construction announces the DVD release of multiple award winning film Children of the Pyre by Rajesh S. Jala
on 15th August 2010, India’s Independence Day
CHILDREN OF THE PYRE
74 min, English (subtitled), 2008, India
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Varanasi, for many a synonym of India, perhaps owes a large part of its fame to Manikarnika, the busiest cremation ground in India. Over 150 bodies are consigned to flames here everyday with the guarantee of instant moksha or liberation from the cycle of births and rebirths.
Understandably, death is big business here – involving all kinds of professionals – big and small. Amidst grieving relatives, profit hungry shopkeepers and somber cremators can be spotted as well as groups of frolicking children who have turned this graveyard into their playground and a source of their livelihood.
‘Children of the Pyre’ is a compelling real-life, self-narrative of seven such extraordinary children who make their living out of the dead. They collect, snatch or steal used coffin shrouds and sell them for petty amounts in order to ensure their own and their family’s survival.
Tempered by the heat of the pyre, strengthened in the face of adversities and crafted by a volley of abuses, these imps weave through the pyres and struggle through disdain in this land of the dead. Laughing, smiling, weeping, fighting and shouting, these children run the race for survival – winning it again and again – everyday.
The film is a terrible saga of exploitation that celebrates the victory of innocence over the most harrowing realities of life. It’s a torturous journey through seared bodies, callous minds and dead consciences that constitute the human reality of the ghats at Varanasi.
Winner of Best Documentary
Montreal World Film Festival, Canada 2008
Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil 2008
Special Jury Award, National Film Awards, India,
Best Audiography, National Film Awards, India
Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, USA, 2009
Asiatica Film Mediale, Rome, 2009
IDPA, Mumbai, 2009
IDPA, Mumbai, 2009 Best Cinematography
Special Jury Award, Jeevika Film Festival, 2009
Nominated in Competition
Pusan International Film Festival, Korea 2008
Leipzig International Documentary Film Festival, Germany 2008
Munich International Documentary Film Festival, Germany, 2009
Mumbai International Film Festival, India, 2010
Warsaw Film Festival, Poland, 2009
South Asian Film Festival, 2009
Split Film Festival, Croatia, 2009
Official Selection
IDFA, Amsterdam, 2008
IFFI, Goa, 2008
Tamper International Film Festival, Finland, 2009
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival, Greece, 2009
Museum of Modern Arts, USA 2009
Jerusalem International Film Festival, Israel, 2009
For more information on the film