A RIFLE AND A BAG
89 mins | India, Romania, Italy, Qatar
Directed and Produced by: Cristina Hanes, Isabella Rinaldi, Arya Rothe
Watch the film online on the BIC website from May 11th - 16th, 2021
Register here for Live Session: May 13th at 6.30pm | Sushma Veerappa will be in conversation with the Directors.
Watch the trailer here
SYNOPSIS
Somi and her husband met and fell in love while fighting alongside the Naxalites, a communist guerrilla group that has been fighting since the 60’s for the rights of the tribal communities of India. After a decade of armed struggle, the couple deserted the movement and surrendered to the police. The act of surrendering has tampered with their value system and the ideology for which they fought, disengaging them from their surroundings and beliefs.
Ever since, they have been striving to forge a new identity, educate their two children and eventually reconcile their violent past with the fervent desire to integrate into the hostile Indian society.
THE DIRECTORS
Arya Rothe is an independent filmmaker from Pune, India. She graduated in 2016 from DocNomads. Before DocNomads, she studied at FAMU - National Film School of Czech Republic. Her short film, 'Daughter's Mother' (2018) had its world premiere at 61st Dok Leipzig Film Festival.
Cristina Hanes is a Romanian filmmaker. Her film ‘António e Catarina’ won the Pardino D’oro Award for Best International Short in Pardi di Domani at Locarno Festival in 2017 and was screened in over 20 film festivals around the world. She is an alumna of DocNomads and Aristoteles Workshop. She completed her BA in the field of Cinematography in 2013 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Isabella Rinaldi is an independent filmmaker based in Rome, Italy. She graduated DocNomads after getting her Bachelor Degree in Film Studies at Sapienza University of Rome. She is currently directing one episode of the documentary series “Borderline” produced by Off World from Belgium.