A protest movement, especially one as big as the historic farmers’ movement that began in 2020, may not reveal all its facets when viewed from the frontlines. During the days of protests against the laws enacted by the central government, most of the immediate reporting was on the farmers’ demands, the repressive methods used by the government, and the back-and-forth in meetings.
Documentary by Nishtha Jain and Akash Basumatari Cultivating the RevolutionThe film, which is being screened in the Long Documentary Competition category at the 16th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), gives us a glimpse of how such a movement has sustained over many years, despite the various means used to suppress it. In a poignant moment months after the movement began, one of the protestors compares it to a wide, deep river that flows quietly and carries within itself the power of all the currents it meets along the way.
According to Nishtha, she spent over a year at protest sites, shooting over 400 hours of footage, leading to the creation of a 100-minute-long documentary. The documentary spends a lot of time not just at protest sites at entry points to Delhi, but also in the fields and homes of farmers in Punjab, where the uphill task of convincing more people to join the movement takes place. At one point, the discussion focuses on why more women must join to sustain the protests. Inspired by grassroots campaigns, families joined the protests in a big way.
The character that is repeatedly shown as the anchor point in the documentary is a young farmer who was initially reluctant to join the protest. But, once he understood the need for such a protest, he left behind his dream of moving to Canada and joined wholeheartedly. Many senior citizens who are part of the protest explain why they are braving the bad weather to stay put at Delhi’s borders, as repealing the anti-farmer laws is necessary for future generations.
To counter the hostile coverage of most mainstream news channels, the farmers bring out their own newspaper through their own distribution network. Thus everyone at the protest site plays one role or the other, which is one of the factors that enabled the entire movement to run like clockwork until the government was forced to repeal the laws.
Through Cultivating the RevolutionNishtha, who in the past has made acclaimed documentaries like Gulabi GangAnd Akash has created a powerful and lasting document that views a historic movement in its entirety.
