About the Film

Irom Sharmila is a young woman of Manipur who has been on a fast-to-death for nearly 7 years now. She has been demanding the removal of a brutal law from her land. Manipur is a north-east Indian state (bordering Myanmar), riven for decades by insurgency and armed separatist movements. The Government of India has attempted to control the situation militarily, granting drastic powers to the security forces. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act enforced in the region lets people be arrested, shot and even killed - on suspicion alone. But Sharmila is willing to stake everything – even her life – to restore justice and dignity to her people.

Read more about Irom Sharmila on the filmmaker's blog:
http://kavitajoshi.blogspot.com

Read the full text of the interview of Irom Sharmila by the director:
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main17.asp?filename=Cr032506_Iroms_iron.asp
Updated and Mirrored here:
http://www.countercurrents.org/hr-joshi291106.htm

Read a searing portrait of Irom Sharmila by journalist Shoma Choudhary:
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main23.asp?filename=Ne120906The_unlikely_CS.asp

Read news coverage of Irom Sharmila's ongoing protests here:
http://manipurfreedom.org/

Download a Resource Kit on this subject, as follows:
Go to: http://kavitajoshi.blogspot.com
then see sidebar on the right, which says:  More on Manipur
Under this: DOWNLOAD an Info Kit: AFSPA 1958 ~ Irom Sharmila ~ Manipur.
Click on the link to download. It is updated periodically.

About the Director

Kavita Joshi is an independent filmmaker based in Delhi. Her recent projects have focused on women and their protests for justice and rights.

Her films include:
• Some Roots Grow Upwards
• Untitled: 3 Narratives
• Tales from the Margins

Her films have been awarded the Silver Remi at World Fest Houston 2007; Best Film on Human Rights at the UGC CEC Awards India; and other creative and technical awards at the national level. They have been screened at the Munich DokFest; Bilbao Spain; Medias Nord Sud Geneva; Festival Dei Popoli Florence; Vikalp; and by broadcasters like NRK Norway.

Kavita also works as a media trainer, designing and conducting workshops in the audio-visual media. She is involved with the anti-censorship movement by independent filmmakers across India; and with the Delhi Film Archive.