“Screening and Discussion: Water Stories: ‘The Feast (Virundhu)’/’The Prediction (Kanippu)’” (South Asian Studies Council)

“The Feast (Virundhu)” and “The Prediction (Kanippu)” are the first two films in a three-part anthology of short fiction films highlight various aspects of humans’ relationship with water. They are set in and around Pulicat Lake, India’s second largest brackish water ecosystem on the borders of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and feature local actors and dialogue in Tamil (with subtitles). “The Feast” examines dilemmas around development, pollution, and ecology through the lens of a mother and daughter working to protect their way of life – and secure their futures. “The Prediction” highlights the value of integrating traditional and modern scientific ways of understanding climate variability. This will be the first time that The Prediction is screened in North America, and the second time for The Feast, which premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2024 in International Competition and was awarded the Special Jury Award.

 

The Director, Rishi Chandna, will be present to discuss the making of the films. Jessica Seddon, who served as Executive Producer, and Sunil Amrith, who served on the Steering Committee for the films, will contextualize the themes in historical and contemporary environmental governance.

 

About the Director:

Rishi’s debut short documentary, “Tungrus” (2018), was shown at Hot Docs, Visions Du Reel, BFI London Film Festival, IDFA and became an Oscar-qualifying short documentary after winning at Slamdance Film Festival. His second short, “PARTY POSTER” (2022), showed at Palm Springs SF, Krakow Film Festival, DocAviv, Glasgow SFF and more. Both films were released online on New York Times’ OP-DOCS, PBS POV SHORTS, Criterion and more. His third short film (fiction), “The Feast (Virundhu)” has premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2024 in International Competition and was awarded the Special Jury Award. The film is part of an anthology of three short fiction films on human-water symbiosis. Currently he is developing his first feature-length fiction film titled GHOL/THE CATCH (2021 Sundance Screenwriters Lab, Cannes Film Market 2021, 2021 Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum winner, NFDC co-production market 2021).

 

Sponsored by Yale Planetary Solutions, the Jackson School of Global Affairs’ Deitz Family Initiative on Environment and Global Affairs, and South Asian Studies Council