TOXIFICATION (12A), followed by a Q&A with Director
Event Information
About this Event
“Punjab is the biggest market for pesticide in Asia.”
The north Indian state of Punjab was said to have produced enough food to feed the entire country during the Green Revolution. However, drug abuse and the overuse of agricultural chemicals have crippled a landscape which was once so lush.
Romanticised in memories and our songs, and celebrated the world over for its fertile land, see the devastating toxic consequences of pesticide on the minds and bodies of the people, as well as the soil of the Punjab for yourself.
"Toxification" is an award winning documentary about the people of Punjab, from the farmers trying to make ends meet in a backbreaking profession, to the widowed mothers left with the debt of their husbands, to the quiet organic farming movement encouraging farmers to revert back to the traditional way of growing crops.
The documentary has been selected for several global film festivals, with interest from agricultural organisations and academics. However this is a human and touching story of the very real crisis in the Punjab, and similar stories exist throughout the world.
The director, Rehmat Rayatt has been back in the Punjab this month, where a very special screening took place for some of the people in this film. I attracted much attention with requests for further screenings and press coverage in The Tribune there.
In the Q&A with Rehmat Rayatt following the film, she will share some of the feedback from the Punjab as well as her journey making this film, and what she hopes this film will achieve.
The headline sponsor for the Toxification screenings is Kashi House, a dedicated not-for-profit publisher of books on Sikh and Punjabi heritage, arts and culture.
With thanks also to all the sponsors and the screening venues for their kind support.
www.facebook.com/toxificationdoc
Twitter: @toxificationdoc
#toxification
