Journalism of Courage
Social documentaries used to have a restricted audience earlier,but restaurant screenings could change this trend
A few Sundays ago,a motley group of people gathered at Grubshup resturant on Law College road. In the midst of sipping chai and munching on sandwiches,they swapped suggestions and delivered serious monologues. This audience had just watched a screening of the Deepa Bhatia-directed documentary,Nero’s Guests,and were in the throes of breaking down the subject of farmer suicides and how agriculture in the country can be rescued from its problems. It was an unusual setting for a film on that subject,but its screening attracted people who otherwise may have escaped some understanding on the subject. I loved the experience. I think it’s a wonderful way to reach people,not just with food for the stomach,but food for thought as well, says Aditi Bandekar,a physiotherapist who was present.
There was a time when documentaries on everything from social to economic issues were items of limited circulation. Educational institutions were their biggest patrons,and outside them you could only see them on CDs or DVDs. But many restaurants,have of late emerged as unconventional venues of documentary screenings. Grubshup has made these events frequent weekend events and a part of its social responsibility activities.
Swig Bar and Eatery in Koregaon Park too is discovering the potential of becoming a documentary screening spot. We had always thought about doing it,because the space we have is really nice and we have an in-house projector. I am sure there is a market for these screenings because there is an audience for these documentaries, says Vishal Gore of Swig. The cosy eatery recently screened 365 without 377,a documentary on Gay rights in India,made by Italian director,Adele Tulli; and Be Human,a documentary on world peace made by Pune-based film-maker,Prashant Ingole. The intention of the screening was to reach out to as many people as possible and that happened, says Ingole. He recently also screened Be Human at the club Blue Frog in Mumbai. The screenings have helped attract offers for showcasing in New York,California,and Australia.
Wake Up Pune,an NGO which works with HIV positive individuals,often employs documentary screenings to talk about the issue. When they wanted to reach out to a wider section of people,they held a screening at High Spirits,a popular haunt located in Koregaon Park. The film was made by a Delhi-based film-maker,and told the story of an HIV positive kid and his life. The response we got was tremendous. Places like restaurants are a good way to reach out and spread the word, says Avinash Chakranarayan of Wake up Pune.
