Cotton for my Shroud

Saturday 19 January 4.00pm
Oliver Thompson Theatre, City University London

UK Premiere

India 2011
Directors: Nandan Saxena, Kavita Bahl
Producers: Kavita Bahl
Language: Hindi, Marathi and English. English subtitles

Cotton for my Shroud investigates the ongoing farmer suicide crisis in India and the culpability of the multinational Monsanto and the Indian government. It examines the strategy of multinational corporations to control seed supply, and corrupt politicians' willingness to help in this second colonisation of India.

Awards
Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) Award for the Best Investigative Film at National Film Awards, 2011.
Gold Award for Script, Awards for Excellence, Indian Documentary Producers' Association, 2011.

Followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bhal, Dr Keith Tyrell, Director of Pesticides Action Network UK and Amy Leech of Soil Association. Others - TBC.

Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bahl work in the genres of documentary and poetry films. Their oeuvre spans ecology, livelihoods, development and human rights. Both completed their Masters Degree in English Literature from the University of Delhi in 1991 following this with a course in journalism. Kavita went on to work as a journalist for a national newspaper 'The Indian Express' for six years and Nandan worked in television news and current affairs programmes.

In 1996 they founded 'Top Quark Films' and started working as independent film makers. Their films explore peoples' relationship with their environment through many windows- cultural, political and anthrobotanical.

Dr Keith Tyrell - Director of Pesticides Action Network UK.

Keith has over 20 years' environmental experience. Prior to joining PAN UK he was the Director of Programmes and Research at the Koru Foundation – a charity that supports community scale renewable energy projects in the developing world. He also spent eight years working on UK and EU environmental policy at the ENDS Report where his last role was Climate and Energy Editor. He has extensive experience of working with grassroots organisations and ran the European arm of a three-year international research and advocacy project for WWF. He holds a Doctorate in Development Studies, and MA in Environment Development and Policy - both of which involved research into pesticide use.

Cotton for my Shroud - a review by OneWorld - The Largest Wave of Suicide in History

Q&A

Panel discussion with the directors Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bahl, Dr Keith Tyrell, Director of Pesticides Action Network UK and Amy Leech of Soil Association (others- TBC) on the farming crisis in India and internationally. Followed by a drinks reception.

Bookings

£5 or £4 - concs, except Cotton for my Shroud: £8 (£7 concs) and includes the reception. Cash only on the door.

Trailer

Further information

Top Quark Films Facebook Page
Telling Suppressed Stories. The Hindu.
Documentary on Vidarbha farmers bags National award. The Times of India.
Revealing Vidarbha's plight: 'Cotton for my shroud'. Hindustan Times
Documentary on Vidarbha Agrarian Crisis, 'Cotton for my shroud' won Gold at the IDPA Awards-2011
Cotton for my shroud: Documentary on Vidarbha farmers bags national award. Indian Water Portal.
Vidarbha Crisis Blog

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