Have you seen the Arana?

SCREENING OF AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY AT IISC AND ATREE

Followed by a discussion with the filmmaker - Sunanda Bhat, 

Jochi, a traditional healer and Arun, member FERNS Naturalists Society, Wayanad

CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY STUDIES (CCS), 

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, BANGALORE

TUESDAY, 27th AUGUST, 2013, 6 PM.

ASHOKA TRUST FOR ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT, ATREE 

ROYAL ENCLAVE, SRIRAMPURA, JAKKUR POST, BLR

WEDNESDAY, 28th AUGUST, 2013, 3.30 PM.

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ABOUT THE FILM

“Have you seen the arana?” interweaves contemporary narratives with a tribal myth to explore effects of a rapidly changing landscape on lives and livelihoods.

The film is set in Wayanad, South India, a rich and bio-diverse region going through rapid transformation. A woman’s concern over disappearance of medicinal 

plants from the forest, a rice farmer’s commitment to grow traditional varieties, organically and a cash crop cultivator’s struggle to survive amidst farmers’ suicides,

offer fresh insights into shifting relations between people and environment. As hills flatten and forests disappear along with traditional knowledge, the film reminds 

us of the dangers of a monotonous and unsustainable future. 

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Sunanda worked on 'Have you seen the arana?' over 6 years, looking for ways to capture and represent the complexity of the people and place. Much of the 

film rests on the relationships she was able to build with the characters over this period. She has also made several commissioned films on various social issues. 

'Ini Oru Vidhi Seyvoam’ (‘Let's make it right') on rural sanitation won the 'Gold Drop' Award at the 'International Water and Film Events, 2012, Marseilles, France, 

while ‘Bol Ayesha Bol’ (Speak Ayesha Speak) premiered at the International Film Festival, Amsterdam. Sunanda lives and works in Bangalore.