Sanjay Kak
Encyclopedia
Sanjay Kak is an independent documentary film
-maker whose recent film Words on Water (2003) on the anti-dam movement in the Narmada Valley in Central India has been widely screened in India and abroad, including at film festivals in Durban
, Hong Kong
, Locarno
and Turin
. In 2003 the film won Best Long Film prize at the Internacional Festival of Environmental Film & Video, Brazil
, and prizes at Envirofilm, Slovakia
; Vatavaran Environmental Film Festival, New Delhi
; and International Video Festival, Trivandrum.
His film In the forest hangs a bridge (1999) received the “Golden Lotus” for Best Documentary Film at the 1999 National Film Awards in India
. The film also won the “Asian Gaze” Award at the Pusan Short Film Festival, Korea
. His recent work includes One Weapon (1997), a video about democracy in the 50th year of Indian independence, and Harvest of Rain (1995), made in association with the Centre for Science & Environment, New Delhi.
His films on the theme of migration, looking at people of Indian origin in the fringes of the city of London This Land, My Land, Eng-Land! (1993) and in post-apartheid South Africa A House and a Home (1993) have been widely screened. He has also produced and directed Cambodia: Angkor Remembered (1990), a reflection on the monument and its place in Khmer society.
Born in Pune in 1958, Sanjay Kak attended St Stephen’s College, Delhi and the Delhi School of Economics
where he studied Economics and Sociology.
Sanjay Kak lives in New Delhi where he has been active in the Campaign Against Censorship in India, and works closely with the Delhi Film Archive.
He has just finished making a feature length documentary film on Kashmir called Jashn-e-Azadi (How we celebrate freedom). The film has been under production for more than three years.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
-maker whose recent film Words on Water (2003) on the anti-dam movement in the Narmada Valley in Central India has been widely screened in India and abroad, including at film festivals in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Locarno
Locarno
Locarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000...
and Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. In 2003 the film won Best Long Film prize at the Internacional Festival of Environmental Film & Video, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and prizes at Envirofilm, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
; Vatavaran Environmental Film Festival, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
; and International Video Festival, Trivandrum.
His film In the forest hangs a bridge (1999) received the “Golden Lotus” for Best Documentary Film at the 1999 National Film Awards in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The film also won the “Asian Gaze” Award at the Pusan Short Film Festival, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. His recent work includes One Weapon (1997), a video about democracy in the 50th year of Indian independence, and Harvest of Rain (1995), made in association with the Centre for Science & Environment, New Delhi.
His films on the theme of migration, looking at people of Indian origin in the fringes of the city of London This Land, My Land, Eng-Land! (1993) and in post-apartheid South Africa A House and a Home (1993) have been widely screened. He has also produced and directed Cambodia: Angkor Remembered (1990), a reflection on the monument and its place in Khmer society.
Born in Pune in 1958, Sanjay Kak attended St Stephen’s College, Delhi and the Delhi School of Economics
Delhi School of Economics
Delhi School of Economics , commonly referred to as DSE or D School, is a centre of post graduate learning of the University of Delhi. The centre is situated in the university's North Campus in Maurice Nagar, and is surrounded by a host of other prestigious academic institutions of the country...
where he studied Economics and Sociology.
Sanjay Kak lives in New Delhi where he has been active in the Campaign Against Censorship in India, and works closely with the Delhi Film Archive.
He has just finished making a feature length documentary film on Kashmir called Jashn-e-Azadi (How we celebrate freedom). The film has been under production for more than three years.