WE HAVE
The Oscar® nominated short film ‘Little Terrorist’
& award winning documentary ‘Inshallah, football’ both offer glimpses
into the world's most militarized border between India &
Pakistan. Inshallah, football was banned in India at first. It took media
pressure to compel the Indian Government to allow it to release. The film
exposes the Indian state and its human rights abuses in Kashmir.
'This film pits the power of truth against the truth of power. To project Kashmir's tragedy in such black-and-white terms might offend some. But should not detract attention from Ashvin Kumar's deeply felt anguish and compassion for an angry, sullen and helpless people.' Dileep Padgaonkar, GOI Chief Interlocutor to Kashmir.
WE NEED
Your help to get these films into the CLASSROOM - in
schools, colleges and universities around the world.
WHY?
Osama Bin Laden in a 'Letter to American People'
stated that one of the reasons he was fighting America is because of its
support of India on the Kashmiri issue.
In Iraq there was 1 solider for every 166 civilians.
In Kashmir, there is 1 for every 20. Kashmir must be one of the most poorly
represented conflicts of the world, one that claimed over 100,000 lives, and
countless 'disappearances'.
What is the Kashmir ‘issue’?
Why does the world know so little about one of the
bloodiest conflicts on the flashpoint of global terror?
WHERE?
'Little Terrorist' is set in the desert while
'Inshallah, football' in Kashmir (in the Himalayas), at two opposite ends of a
three thousand mile boarder separating India and Pakistan.
WHAT?
Both films speak of bridging nationalist divides, and
are hopeful tales about youth in the shadow of conflict. One is fiction, the
other a documentary; together, they provide a rare insight into a tense reality
that deserves desperate attention.
There's a limited amount of actions that each one of
us can take to facilitate understanding and encourage change; we want to start
from what we already have. A more detailed strategy is outlined below...
ABOUT 'INSHALLAH, FOOTBALL'
'Kashmiri teenagers in the early 90's did not imitate Che Guevara and
Malcolm X; militants walking the ramp of war determined the fashion trends' Basharat Peer, author of 'Curfew Nights'.
Flicking his cigarette, Bashir gazes into the
camera with eyes that have seen worlds shattered: “I was petrified that he would lose sanity, follow my footsteps and
become a militant”. Bashir Baba, a leader of the armed group Hizbul
Mujahideen has given-up the gun.
When he left his home in Kashmir to join the
training camps in Pakistan in the early 90’s, his son Basharat was two months
old.
Basharat Baba belongs to a new generation of
Kashmiris. He has grown up under the shadow of a silent war. Yet, within it,
football is his passion and fuel.
For the past three years, another man has
made his presence felt in Basharat’s life. Marcos, an Argentinean football
coach, has bridged great cultural distance by founding Kashmir’s ISAT football
academy, which runs an exchange program to Brazil for talented players.
Basharat is selected by Marcos to go to
Brazil; to play in the land of Pele has fairy tale qualities but Basharat has
been denied a passport by the Government of India.
His crime? That he was born the son of a
militant.
A deeply personal narrative about father and
son, the devastating conflict of Kashmir and the state of Indian democracy.
For more : http://www.facebook.com/inshallahfootball
ABOUT 'LITTLE TERRORIST'
‘Inshallah, football' director- Ashvin Kumar is also
the mind behind the Oscar nominated short film 'Little Terrorist'.
A little Muslim boy chases a cricket ball across the
no man's land separating India and Pakistan; it's only the kindness of some
strangers across the Indian border and a schoolteacher that save the boy from
getting harmed by border patrols. The New York Times has been heard saying 'From Little Terrorist we all learn a tidy
lesson about universal humanity'.
For more, please visit:
http://www.little-terrorist.alipur.com/
Throughout, Alipur Films has engaged with finding
creative ways to tell difficult stories. We’ve tried to bridge divides,
dissolve borders and find humanity by telling stories involving young people.
THE IMPACT
'There's no better way of understanding Kashmir right now' says
Tehelka, a leading Indian political magazine about
'Inshallah, football'.
Obtaining
permissions, difficulty of access in the highest militarized zone in the world, the hostility of
the Indian armed forces, coupled with civilians' reluctance to talk, all combine to make
Kashmir a very difficult place to film. Consequently, awareness about a
conflict that has raged for two decades and claimed more than a hundred thousand lives, is pathetically
low.
Yet the Indian Government in collusion with national
media continue to play the game of suppressing information. The common man and
woman’s perspective is all but absent.
'Inshallah, football', somehow managed to break
through all of that. What has resulted is a rare cinematic representation of
the heart of Kashmir, told from the point of view of ordinary Kashmiris who've been denied a voice. The film was banned and then awarded an 'Adult' film
certificate by the Indian censor board. As a result, its own protagonist and young
leaders of tomorrow cannot watch it in the country of its origin.
At least
outside of India, we would like to do something about it. If information is at
the basis for any change, we want information to spread, to become instrumental
to learning, and spreading awareness. For too long have silence and apathy had
the upper hand.
WHAT WE NEED/WHAT YOU GET
We will employ the funds raised through Indiegogo
community to reach out to educational institutions, take the films into their
libraries and incorporate them as visual-aids and fund a lecture-tour with the films
to those universities that can not afford to pay for our travels.
(1) The Annual Conference on South-Asia : (http://southasiaconference.wisc.edu/index.html),
650 scholars from all over the world meet annually to discuss South-Asias
topics. As it happens, this year Kashmir is in focus and there are two panels
that will discuss various issues. The event is held between October 20-23 in
Wisconsin, USA and Inshallah, football has been selected to be screened at the
conference.
We have already begun our out-reach activities by
getting the film selected at the Conference, prepared a list of academics who
are researching or connected in some way to Kashmir and appraising them about
the films.
We are confident that we will be able to place a significant
number of copies of both the film in various University libraries, meet all the
professors who are doing any work in Kashmir and see if we can arrange a
lecture tour from one university to the other, all through this one conference.
Conference cost includes travel to the event from
India, accommodation and local transport.
(2) Producing both the films' DVDs, supporting
materials, dressing them elegantly, printing copies, printing an attractive
educational brochure, publishing a website, printing post-cards and other marketing
paraphernalia we require to support our pitch.
(3) Travel to universities and colleges in Europe and
within India, to present and participate in Q&A with students at their
campus; we have been invited by quite a few already but have had to pass for
lack of funding.
If we're unable to meet our campaign target our
efforts won't stop, they will only get scaled down accordingly. Our first
priority will be, in that case, to attend the conference with a minimal marketing
kit. We will allocate other funds judiciously to other activities as specified
above.
The bottom line is that we will ensure that every cent
of your money finds its way towards promoting awareness about Kashmir through
these films.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
If you are a part of any community, have an active
social media profile, or a simple email account, please do take the time to let
your audiences, friends, family and fans know about our project and how they
can support us. We have two films, an action plan, a cause we think relevant,
and your invaluable support for which we are truly grateful. Please donate
generously.