Rural media organisation Khabar Lahariya has said the makers of the Oscar-nominated documentary Writing with Fire have inaccurately represented it as one with a “focus of reporting on one party”. In response, the filmmakers, Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, released a statement standing by the portrayal. 🗞️ Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to access the best Election reporting and analysis 🗞️ “Khabar Lahariya’s statement is an acknowledgement of the fractured and complex times we are in. While their statement is deeply disappointing to us, we remain committed supporters of their mission, work and onward journey,” they said. Writing with Fire is competing in the Documentary Feature category at the Oscars. Khabar Lahariya's statement, which comes a week ahead of the 94th Academy Awards, says the film “eclipses” their work of over 20 years and captures only a part of their story — “and part stories have a way of distorting the whole sometimes”. The women-led media collective acknowledged the film as “powerful and moving”. But it added that the documentary’s presentation of it “as an organisation with a particular and consuming focus of reporting on one party and the mobilisation around this, is inaccurate”, and that theirs “has not just been the easy-to-digest, heartwarming story of the small figure talking back to the big powers in a time of political change”. The filmmakers wrote: “Khabar Lahariya has a rich legacy as a grassroots media organisation. Yet a film must take a focus to tell a story of one aspect or another of the whole picture. We respect that this may not be the film that they would have made about themselves but we stand by this portrayal of Khabar Lahariya, which focuses on the range of the important work that they do — and their hopes, fears, vulnerabilities and dreams.… Our film speaks to their power and agency both as women and as journalists.” Khabar Lahariya said: “In 20 years, we have reported on (and befriended) many parties in Uttar Pradesh that have said they will stand for the rights of the poor, the marginalised, and we have shown them all the mirror when they have not done what they said…” “We have not, as the film would have one believe, been able to carry our caste identities on our sleeves, with bravado and humour. We have had to be discreet, often fearful.” The statement said the organisation watched the film only recently. The filmmakers, however, wrote: “We spent five years making the film, with much care and in collaboration with the team at Khabar Lahariya, including filming closely with them on the ground for four years, from 2016-19. It was important to us to share the film with Khabar Lahariya before any other audience. In January 2021, we travelled from Delhi to Banda in Uttar Pradesh to set up a screening in person with the key contributors before the world premiere of the film at the Sundance Film Festival. The protagonists of the film expressed joy and support for the way the film represents their work and their lives. Soon after seeing the film, Khabar Lahariya's Bureau Chief joined the filmmakers for a post-screening conversation at Sundance in January 2021. In the 14 months since then, the Khabar Lahariya team has joined us in many virtual panels and post screening conversations around the film and their work. The film has created an opportunity for them to talk about the legacy of Khabar Lahariya's work with the international press. In November 2021, the Bureau Chief joined us in person to present the film with a live audience at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).” Khabar Lahariya's then bureau chief Meera Devi, one of the film's protagonists, posted about her time in Amsterdam on Instagram. Last year, after the film picked up two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, Khabar Lahariya editor Kavita Bundelkhandi had told The Indian Express in an email: “We're very thrilled for Writing with Fire and the filmmakers Rintu and Sushmit, for premiering their labour of love — the story of Khabar Lahariya narrated from their unique perspective.which has garnered global praise and attention, and won such wonderfully exciting awards. All very well-deserved, and we wish them many more accolades in the future. For WWF and more!”
