Mrinal Sen Centennial: Akaler Shadhaney / In Search of a Famine (1980)

Part of legendary Indian filmmaker Mrinal Sen Centennial and Retrospective!

Couched in a film-within-film structure, Sen’s classic follows a film crew who arrives in a village to depict the devastating famine that claimed five million lives in Bengal in 1943. As they immerse themselves in the production, the narrative captures both the camaraderie among the crew and the challenges of filmmaking on location. The actors navigate a dual existence, while the villagers observe their work with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. However, as the film progresses, the boundaries between past and present blur, with the recreated historical events intersecting with contemporary realities. A village woman’s prophetic visions further complicate the temporal dynamics, adding a glimpse into the future. This convergence of past, present, and future creates a disconcerting scenario for those involved in capturing the famine’s horrors.

Co-sponsored by the Film and Media Studies Program, South Asian Studies Council, Comparative Literature Department, Whitney Humanities Center, and The MacMillan Center

Free and open to the public.