Celebrating Indigenous Voices: IITGN Hosts Two-Day Film Festival

The IIT Gandhinagar in collaboration with the Tribal Design Forum and Green Hub India, conducted a two day long indigenous film festival at the Jibaben Patel Memorial Auditorium, IITGN on September 21 and 22, 2024. An incredible set of sixteen short films were screened during the two days, attracting a host of cinephiles from various regions of the state.  

As an epistemic tool, the medium of cinema has held great value right from its inception. While some of the most popular film festivals take place during this part of the year, there is hardly any that focuses on the oeuvre of tribal filmmakers. IITGN’s initiative therefore stood apart, as it shifted the limelight to creative practitioners from indigenous communities, foregrounding their oral histories, living traditions, and the sacred relationship with nature. Referring to the importance of such screenings, Sudhir John Horo, Convenor, Tribal Design Forum, remarked: “This festival marks a refreshing change as it showcases indigenous stories by filmmakers from the Community itself.”

Prof Aashish Xaxa, Assistant Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences, IITGN facilitated a short dialogue among the audience members, inviting reflections on how cinema can be used to communicate vital issues pertaining to the Adivasi world. “Can we think of a different way to discuss the issues of the First Nations and the Adivasis in India?” asked Prof Xaxa. Interestingly, the festival also included music videos and Ted Talks, focusing not only on cinema, but the moving image instead.

The sixteen films did not merely document Adivasi worldviews, but highlighted the moving image as a powerful form of cultural expression and resistance. Shweta Guria, a student at SRFTI, Kolkata, and Associate at the Tribal Design Forum, noted that this initiative will bring a powerful platform to amplify indigenous voices and inspire dialogue around the role of tribal knowledge in addressing global challenges like biodiversity conservation and climate change. She emphasised that the event is not just a celebration of indigenous storytelling, but also a call to action for greater cognition and respect for the wisdom and contributions of tribal communities.