Inauguration of 1st Dharti Aaba Tribal Film Festival in Ranchi: A Celebration of Tribal Cinema

Ranchi: The first-ever tribal film festival, “1st Dharti Aaba Tribal Film Festival’ kicked off at Ranchi’s Dr Ramdayal Munda Tribal Welfare Research Institute on Tuesday, celebrating the rich culture, heritage, and storytelling traditions of India’s tribal communities.The three-day festival will showcase 52 tribal films from across the country, highlighting diverse aspects of tribal life, folklore, struggles, and contemporary issues. The films, made in various tribal languages and dialects, include both documentaries and feature films.A total of 148 entries were received for the film festival. Films from Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal will be screened during the three-day festival.The festival, which will culminate on Thursday, was inaugurated by the state minister of scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and backward class welfare, Chamra Linda, on Tuesday. During the inauguration, the minister said that this festival is not merely a showcase of films, but a celebration of tribal identity, tradition, and philosophy of life.“Film is a powerful medium that brings forth the soul, culture, and struggles of tribal India before the world.

The state govt is committed to the holistic development and cultural preservation of the tribal community,” he said.Filmmakers, artists, researchers and students gathered at the festival expressed hope that it would provide the right platform for the portrayal of tribal identity and customs, which are often represented wrongly in mainstream films.Renowned filmmaker and one of the jury members of the festival, Anjali Monterio, said, “Tribals are often misrepresented in mainstream films, in a derogatory manner, neglecting their actual struggle and rich heritage.

The festival will play a pivotal role by bringing the tales of tribals to the fore, in the right way.”Niranjan Kumar Kujur, one of the organisers and a filmmaker, said, “We have been witnessing a growing affinity among tribals for filmmaking, but there is a dearth of right platforms to showcase those. These films are not getting released in the theatres and OTT platforms, deterring film enthusiasts from watching these amazing films. To bridge that gap, we come up with this idea of organising a film festival based on films made on tribals, which can acknowledge the works of filmmakers and the audience to get to watch.

”