10/21, 19:30 · Baj Pomorski – hall A
Spices is a film about oppression, the story of a feudal village in pre-independence colonial India and how the old men and women of the village risk all they have to fight that oppression. Sonbai, a young married village woman catches the eye of the “subedar” (tax collector) who has come to the village to collect taxes. Sonbai rejects his advances and takes refuge in the village spice factory amongst other women. Stung by her defiance, the soldier and his men threaten to destroy the town unless the factory watchman and the terrified village men hand over Sonbai to them. Smita Patil gives a compelling and sensuous performance as the bold village woman who defies the men and even the women around her.
Director: | Ketan Mehta |
Screenplay: | Shafi Hakim, Ketan Mehta |
Music: | Rajat Dholakia |
Cinematography: | Jahangir Choudhury |
Editing: | Sanjiv Shah |
Cast: | Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Suresh Oberoi, Deepti Naval |
Awards: | National Film Awards, Indie / India – Najlepszy Film Pełnometrażowy, Najlepszy Aktor Drugoplanowy – Suresh Oberoi, Najlepszy Montażysta / Best Feature Film, Best Supporting Actor – Suresh Oberoi, Best Editor (1987); Najlepszy Film Pełnometrażowy / Best Feature Film (MFF na Hawajach / Hawaii IFF, 1987) |
Ketan Mehta is a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India. His films display a range of filmmaking styles, from comedy to satire, from romance to violence and rebellion. They include Holi, Sardar, Maya Memsahib, Mangal Panday and the recent, Rang Rasiya. His films have been official selections at various international film festivals such as The Festival of Three Continents in Nantes (France), New Directors/New Films (The Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art) and the Moscow Film Festival. Mirch Masala won Ketan Mehta the Best Film Award at the Hawaii Film Festival and was theatrically released in the United States.