A film by Anirban Dutta
Duration: 37 minutes, 2019, Bangla/Bengali with English Subtitles
A glorious past withering away in a fast-changing world – The film is about a Postal Runner, a person who runs or walks from one place to another carrying mail bags. The runner used to be held in high regard with tales of his valour coming to life in the myths and folk forms of the land. With improvements in modes of communication, the runner's profession has become almost redundant. Kalipada Mura, one of the last surviving runners, lives in a small town in Purulia, West Bengal, India. Age has caught up with Kalipada, and he seems a mere spectator as the images from the past, present and future pass by. The film gently explores his metaphorical ‘Last Run’, imbuing it with resonances from history, myth, music and folklore.
The film has been screened at the Collected Voices Film Festival Chicago 2020, Intimalente/Intimatelens Film Festival 2020, Chennai International Short Film & Documentary Film festival 2020 and Madurai International Film Festival 2019.
Review of the film
Anirban Dutta
Anirban Dutta is a filmmaker, a still photographer, and a media educator based in Delhi, India. He started his career in television in 1996 and set up the film company, Metamorphosis in 2003. He has directed and produced several documentary films and has created many photographic essays on a diverse number of topics such as philately, children’s rights, biodiversity, environmental issues, health, and gender and sexuality. His films have travelled to various film festivals such as the New York Short Film Festival, the San Sebastian Human Rights Film Festival, Al Jazeera International Film Festival, and MIFF. He has been a Visiting Artist at the University of Boise, Utah, USA (2009), Stanica Slovakia (2013), and has exhibited in the University of Lima, Peru (2007) in addition to having exhibitions in India. Anirban has worked in Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and hills of Northeast India. He spent 2008 to 2010 in Nagaland and Manipur mentoring artists and filmmakers. He has worked closely with communities mainly children and young people to address violence, displacement, gender issues, and drug problems through art, photography, and film projects. His selected filmography includes: Flickering Lights (In post-production), The Last Run (37min, 2019), Tale of Stamps (30 min, 2016), 5 Exchange Lane (19min, 2015), The Mud House (17min, 2011), Beyond the Mountains (20min, 2010), Shadows of Tehri (47min, 2003)
-------------------------------------------
You can watch the film here.
After the screening, from about 8:00 pm IST, you can join the film maker Anirban Dutta for a live discussion on Facebook.
Kindly click https://www.facebook.com/goetheinstitut.Kolkata/ to participate in the open discussion.
You can ask questions by writing in the 'comment' section while the live stream of the discussion is being broadcast.
Back
