Subject Focus: Rivers as a natural resource, their place in the present notion of “development”, and the alternative notions of people and their rights over resources.

Summary: A boat carrying the cargo of defiance begins an urgent journey through the Narmada valley. For more than 15 years, people of the valley have resisted a series of massive dams on their river, and in their struggle have exposed the deceptive heart of India’s development politics. ‘Words on Water’ is about the sustained non-violent resistance, that almost joyous defiance, which empowers the people as they struggle for their rights, yet saves them from the ultimate humiliation of violence.

Producer’s/Director’s Profile: Sanjay Kak is an independent documentary filmmaker based in New Delhi. Since 1980 he has worked extensively in a wide range of genres in television and film. His last film In the Forest Hangs a Bridge received the Swaran Kamal at the National Film Awards, 1999 as well as the Asian Gaze Award at the Pusan Festival.