K. P. Sasi

K. P. Sasi
Born	(1958-03-14) 14 March 1958 (age 64) Thrissur, Trichur, Thrissur district, Kerala state
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Film director and Cartoonist

K. P. Sasi (Malayalam: കെ പി ശശി) (Karuvannur Puthanveettil Sasi)^[1] is an Indian film director and Cartoonist from Bengaluru. His father K. Damodaran^[2] (25 February 1912 – 3 July 1976) was a Marxist theoretician and writer and one of the founder leaders of the Communist Party in India. He started working as a cartoonist while being a student at JNU during the late seventies. He started experimenting with films on 8mm during the early eighties. His documentaries include "A Valley Refuses to Die", "We Who Make History", "Living in Fear", "In the Name of Medicine" and "Voices from a Disaster". His feature films include Ilayum Mullum,^[3] on the social and psychological violence on women in Kerala, Ek Alag Mausam^[4][5] and Ssh..Silence Please,^[6] a silent comedy film on development. His films have been screened and awarded at several national and international film festivals. He is a founder member of ViBGYOR Film Festival.

Filmography[]

As Director[]

• 2016 – Voices from the Ruins The documentary film on The state of Orissa was born in 1936 as a result of the social reform movement initiated by Madhusoodhan Das, who was called 'The Father of Orissa'. Madhusoodhan Das was a converted Christian. Kandhamal District in Orissa is mainly inhabited by Adivasis and Dalits and among them a large population are Christians. The hate campaign against the Christians in Kandhamal started in late 1960s and sustained for several decades culminating in violence on the minorities in 1980s, '90s and 2000s. The year 2008 saw the biggest violence on the Christians in modern India, resulting in the destruction of over 350 churches, displacement of over 56,000 people, destruction of over 6,500 houses, deaths of over 93 people and abuse of over 40 women. The victims were Adivasi Christians and Dalit Christians.
• 2014 – Fabricated – 90-minute documentary film on the Fabricated Cases on Abdul Nasar Maudany & Others.
• 2009 – A climate call from the coast This documentary film is a call from coastal communities in Kerala state of south India, who are beginning to see the impacts of global warming and climate change at close quarters. While scientists have yet to establish how exactly weather, wind and waves change, the fisher folk find an angrier sea carving out more and more of their land. They are concerned about the changing course of ocean currents and disappearance of small fish from the coastal waters. Pollution and construction along the shore make things even worse. Though their carbon footprint is very small, these local coastal communities bear the brunt of mounting emissions worldwide. They call for leaner, cleaner production processes and demand a place in the climate change debate.
• 2009 – Like leaves in a storm A documentary on hardships and the effect of globalization on tea garden workers in India.
• 2009 – Tsunami rehabilitation an unfinished business Four years on, rehabilitation with an unprecedented level of humanitarian support has helped a large number of tsunami affected people get back their livelihoods. At the same time tsunami rehabilitation is also the story of failed promises and missed lessons. This scenario raises questions about humanitarian standards and the rights of the disaster-affected people. Besides, there is the challenge of ensuring safe life on the coasts. There is also the issue of dilution of coastal environmental norms to make way for business as part of the global neo-liberal agenda. In the film humanitarian workers and local communities analyse these aspects of rehabilitation and seek answers.
• 2009 -Gaon chodab nahin – (Music Video-5 mins) The adivasis, the original or indigenous dwellers, face massive displacement due to developmental projects, destroying the roots of their survival base. A voice of assertion that echoes throughout this music video that captures the marginalization of adivasis all over India and forces us to ask: In whose favor does the God of development work, and whom does it curse?
• 2007 – Resisting Coastal Invasion a documentary film about one of the most pressing issues of coastal India—the aggressive attempts being made to commercialize India's already-degraded coasts. Fundamental policy reforms are on the anvil threatening the lives of fisher folk and also our fragile marine and coastal ecosystems—reforms against which vigorous public dissent is fast building up.
• 2006 – If It Rains Again a documentary that brings out the agony of the life in post-tsunami shelters in Tamil Nadu. More than two years after the Dec 2004 tsunami, most of the disaster survivors still remain in temporary shelters. A large population still continue to live without the basic amenities with constant threat of fire and rain.
• 2005 – The time after Tsunami a film that captures the testimonials of the survivors of the deadly tsunami that struck the coast of southern India on 26 December 2004.
• 2005 – Redefining Peace – Women lead the way a film that captures the work of a few among a thousand remarkable women from all over the world who were nominated by networks of women's groups for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005. This film received the best film award and the best documentary award at the 3rd Swaralaya International Film Festival in July 2006
• 2005 – America, America an anti-war music video, that is a satirical but severe indictment of America's role in escalating world conflict.
• 2004 – The Source of Life for Sale on the impact of privatization of water in India and the subsequent struggles of the local communities in different parts of the country.
• 2003 – Ssh..Silence Please a silent comedy film Theatre release of the film
• 2002 – Development at Gunpoint a documentary on the struggle of the adivasis in Kashipur affected by the bauxite mining.
• 2002-2003 – Short documentaries on the activities of the Latur earthquake survivors.
• 2001 – Voices from a Disaster a documentary on the problems of the earthquake survivors in Gujarat.
• 1998 – Ek Alag Mausam Hindi feature film ^[7] on the human rights violations of the HIV patients in India. The film is scripted by Mahesh Dattani and the main cast includes Nandita Das, Rajit Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Renuka Shahane and Bharat Gopi.
• 1994 – The Wings of Kokkrebellur, on the conservation values of the villagers of Kokkrebellur in Karnataka, who conserved and protected rare birds.
• 1993 – 'Appukkuttan in Time Runs Short fiction on the problems of the changing pace of life in modern times for Asianet.This programme was telecast at least 35 times in Asianet.
• 1991 – Ilayum Mullum the Malayalam feature film ^[8] (Leaves and Thorns), on the social and psychological violence on women in Kerala. The main cast of the film includes Pallavi Joshi, Shanti Krishna, Thilakan and Nedumudi Venu
• 1988 – A Valley Refuses to Diethe documentary on the social and ecological problems created by the Narmada Dams.
• 1989 – A Campaign Begins' on the national march of the fisherpeople with a slogan `Protect Waters, Protect Life'.
• 1988 – The Rope the short film on the need for collective action.
• 1987 – In the Name of Medicine Documentary film on the hazardous and banned pharmaceutical drugs in India.
• 1986 – Living in Fear the documentary film on the radiation hazards created by the Indian Rare Earths Ltd an undertaking of the Dept. Of Atomic Energy. This was the first anti-nuclear film in India, documenting social and ecological problems of a nuclear establishment.
• 1985 – We Who Make History & `That Angry Arabian Sea Two documentaries on the social and ecological problems of trawling and the subsequent protest of the fisher people in Kerala.
• 1984-Science to People the documentary on the People's Science Movement in Kerala Telecasted by Doordarshan.
• 1982 – Experimented with films on 8mm.

As Cartoonist[]

2004 – Published InPosters a book of Cartoon posters on contemporary social issues.

Books[]

2000 – Published When the Birds Stop Singing – handbook on the problems of pesticides in India.

Other[]

1996 – 1998 : Initiated a study on the social and ecological problems of pesticides.

References[]

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]^{[dead link]} [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

External links[]

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