Women Make Waves International Film Festival

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    Drowned out

    Franny Armstrong 2002 UK Documentary color 75min Multi-language Beta
    Shot over three years by Director Franny Armstrong (McLibel), Drowned Out tells the true story of one family's inspired stand against the destruction of their land, homes and culture. The 75 minute no-budget, no-electricity, no-Hindi documentary has been seen by more than 14 million people.

    Faced with three choices, move to the slums in the city, relocate to a barren resettlement site with no drinking water or stay at home and drown, the people of Jalsindhi in central India must make a decision fast. In the next few weeks their village will disappear underwater as the giant Narmada Dam fills.

    Bestselling author Arundhati Roy joins the fight against the dam and asks the difficult questions. Will the water go to poor farmers or to rich industrialists? What happened to the 16 million people displaced by fifty years of dam building? Why should we care? Drowned Out follows the Jalsindhi villagers through hunger strikes, rallies, police brutality and a six-year Supreme Court case. It stays with them as the dam fills and the river starts to rise.

    Director

    Franny Armstrong

    Franny Armstrong’s first documentary, McLibel was released to great critical acclaim. Franny's second major documentary, Drowned Out, follows the fight against the Narmada Dam in India. It was filmed over three years, battling against illness, rain, solar battery chargers, six language barriers and police arrests. The 75-minute film was runner-up for Best Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards.

    Franny Armstrong

    1995-2005 Mclibel

    2003 The Dammed

    1999-2002 Drowned Out

    2002 Baked Alaska

    1999 Gosney in China

    Producer: Franny Armstrong

    Director: Franny Armstrong

    Cinematographer: Franny Armstrong

    Editor: St. John O'Rorke, Gregers Sall

    Music: Chris Brierley, Alfie Thomas@Glue Ear Ltd.

    Language: Multi-language

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