For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will attempt to revisit the history of the documentary movement of India through the lens of gender, focusing on the first and, for a long time, the sole documentary producer, the Films Division of India. Through a feminist analysis of Films Division’s film praxis, it aims to foreground the invisibility of women’s work in the history of documentary film archives in India. The outcome of this project will be a feminist historiography of state-sponsored documentary film in early postcolonial India and an oral history resource focused on women’s film work in the Films Division (1948-80s). The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be a written essay, recording of interviews, film DVDs, scanned copies of film posters, and other relevant para-texts obtained from Films Division and National Film Archive of India. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, materials, purchase of books, and printing.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that aims to bring together professional backstage theatre artists from the villages across North Karnataka to share their skills and weave the stories of their lives into stage texts and performances. The outcome of this project will be a theatre performance based on the lives of backstage theatre art and artists of North Karnataka. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be a handbook of documented interviews of the backstage artists. Project funds will pay for contract fees, production, documentation, travel and living, hire of equipment, consumables and purchase of books.
For the Foundation Project implemented by IFA which will explore the life and work of feminist thinker, writer, educator and political activist, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932), who lived across Kolkata and Patna, through the lens of virtual games to prompt conversations and contemporary interpretations. The outcomes of this project will be audiovisual documentation from the field and a digital archive. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be extensive audiovisual documentation, including interviews from the field, field notes and a download of the material of the digital archive in soft copy. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, materials, printing, purchase of books and stationery.
For the Foundation Project implemented by IFA which will explore the role that the music programmes of the All India Radio Aizawl played in the lives of ordinary people in Mizoram, amid the depressing reality of insurgency and state repression. It aims to problematise simplistic narratives and offer a more nuanced understanding of peace and progress in contemporary discussions. The project will enquire into the shared sense of community experienced by the listeners and its impact on their faith and identity. The outcome of this project will be a monograph. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be a monograph and audiovisual documentation from the field. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, and archive fees.
For the Foundation Project implemented by IFA which will explore the oral narratives around a local hero, a Veeragara, Veera Tammanna of the Kadu Golla community in Karnataka. In an attempt to understand the ways in which marginalised voices are often ignored or silenced by dominant narratives, the project will enquire into discrepancies in documentation and Veera Tamanna’s absence from the historical discourse of the region. The project will not only attempt to document the prevalent oral narratives about this hero, but also construct a new song as a conversation between him and King Ranabhaire Gowda, the ruler of the region.Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the song, the monograph and audiovisual documentation from field visits. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, production, studio hire and purchase of books.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will explore two stories that run in opposing directions – the one of ascension of Siliguri with its progress as a town; and the other of loss, cultural disruption and continued deprivation of the river Teesta. Investigating this peculiar nexus, in which the geological changes of the river is the narrative of a town and its population, the project will attempt a fresh biography of both, exploring songs, dances, prayers, recipes and literary narratives of Siliguri and river Teesta and their meandering and conflicting histories. The outcomes of this project will be an essay in Bangla and English, audiovisual documentation from the field, and a digital archive. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the essay in Bangla and English, extensive audiovisual documentation, a link to the digital archive, and a download of the material of the digital archive in soft copy. Project funds will pay for travel and living, contract fees, purchase of books, hire of equipment, printing, materials, library and archive fees, and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will study the unexplored history of shoemaking in Dehradun Valley to understand what the craft and making of essential objects tell us about the history of a place and people, especially the shoemakers in this case. The outcomes of this project will be a photo essay and a short film on a select set of shoemakers from Dehradun. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the photo essay and the short film. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, printing, hire of equipment, library and archive fees, and stationery.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will explore the question of modernity and citizenship in cinema in the erstwhile princely states of Hyderabad, Kolhapur, Jaipur, and Indore. To understand the history of cinema outside of the framework of film as an industry and profit-making enterprise, this project will examine how rulers of the princely system viewed and engaged with cinema as patrons. The outcomes of this project will be an essay, an exhibition and audiovisual documentation from the field. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the reports, will be an essay, documentation of the exhibition and audiovisual documentation. Project funds will pay for travel and living, production, hire of equipment, library and archive fees, and purchase of books.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will examine the significance and impact of printed Arabi-Malayalam magazines run by women publishers and editors from the Mappila community in Kerala in the early 20th century. Through a study of the readers, writers, content, and topics covered by the magazines, the project will explore the subaltern history of Mappila women and document unrecorded and unrecognised voices of this minority community. The outcomes of this project will be an exhibition and audiovisual documentation of the magazines and interviews from the field. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be a documentation of the exhibition and audiovisual documentation of magazines and interviews from the field. Project funds will pay for contract fees, premiere of the exhibition, documentation, travel and living, hire of equipment, materials, library and archives fees, printing, and software subscriptions.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA which aims to offer a revisionist reading of the pocket-sized Hanuman Book series printed out of Madras (present-day Chennai) and published in New York between 1986 and 1993 by the artist Francesco Clemente and writer Raymond Foye. The project will reflect upon and critique how they heavily used Indian craft traditions and processes while keeping these books out of circulation in southern India. The project will bring these texts and histories back into circulation, with particular attention to their distribution in South Asia. The outcomes of this project will be a digital archive and audiovisual documentation with annotated notes. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables, along with the final reports, will include a digital archive of researched documents, interview transcripts and audiovisual documents with annotated notes. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, printing, hire of equipment, purchase of books and stationery.
