Film examines problem of displacement in Tripura

PANAJI, India (Reuters) - A new film, one of the first to be made in the Kokborok language of Tripura, puts the spotlight on tribal displacement in the north-eastern state.

'Yarwng', screened at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Monday, tells the story of a man and woman displaced when their village is flooded just hours before they were to get married.

"The film deals with the real problem of displacement that has occurred in Tripura due to the building of the Dumbur dam," director Joseph Pullinthananth told reporters at the film festival in Goa, where 'Yarwng' was the opening film in the Indian Panorama section.

"We estimate that at least 30,000 to 40,000 people have been displaced and we made this film for every person who has ever been dispossessed."

Interestingly, the film's director and his crew are from Kerala while the actors in 'Yarwng' were locals from Tripura. But language was the least of their worries during the making of the film.

"We camped in the deepest interiors and the most backward tribal district of Tripura, which are most affected by the dam," Pullinthananth said.

Shooting for the film, partially funded by the Catholic Church in India, was completed in a month.