Tortoise Under the Earth
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Theatrical Screenings
Kinoteka 2
Kinoteka 2
Online Availability
Additional Materials
Film description
A Santhal couple lives in the village of Tulsa in the state of Jharkhand, a region with the largest uranium mining industry in India, whose radioactive presence has been reflected in local mythology. Despite the looming threat of displacement, the couple refuses to leave their land because it is the only way to be in touch with their deceased daughter. They are determined to stay where they have everything – their home, memories, relationships with nature, closeness to the land – at all costs. The land is their connection, encompassing stories and meanings. But the land is also their memory.
A film by a graduate of the Béla Tarr’s film school in Sarajevo, "Tortoise Under the Earth" is a docu-fiction interwoven with illustrations and folk tales, with its hybrid form reflecting the importance of relationships with the environment. It is a rare example of telling a story about space by letting it take the lead – without knowing the character of the place, Shishir Jha let himself be led by a newly met couple who became his guides: to Tulsa and their own story. This is how a unique portrait of personal and collective loss was created. An image of ambivalent tenderness that emerged from the poetic narrative, marked by the shadow of the Anthropocene. An elegy for the changing times, fascinating and poignantly necessary.
Shishir Jha
2014 Shuruaat Ka Interval
2014 August (short)
2016 The East Wind (short)
2015 The amo (short)
2022 Ziemio, bądź bezpieczna / Dharti Latar Re Horo / Tortoise Under the Earth
