A still from the documentary Fire in Our Hearts.
A tribal girl from Thane, who successfully directed a documentary on the life of child labourers in India, will once again shine at the ongoing Youth Film Festival in Doha after winning global acclaim.
The 27-minute documentary by Jayshree Janu Kharpade titled
Fire in Our Hearts will be screened at the Ajyal Youth Film festival organised by Doha Film Institute.
According to the organisers, the festival builds on the Doha Film Institute's history of community-based programming.
Ajyal, which means 'generations' in Arabic, is where people of all ages come together to discuss cinema through events that inspire creative interaction, opening up a fun, collaborative environment where young people can express themselves.
Driven with the goal to inspire and create, 'Ajyal' has been designed to empower the region's youth and to inspire film enthusiasts of all ages in Qatar and the region.
Jayshree's film will be screened in a special section called 'Brave Hearts' at the festival, which ends tomorrow.
Individually, each film in this section illuminates the incredible impact that education - or the lack of it - has on the lives of young people. Together, they demonstrate the power of knowledge to make the hopes and dreams of children become the reality of the future, the organisers said.
The documentary begins from the late 1970s, when illegal slavery affected many tribes in India. Activism secured their emancipation, but education was a luxury they could not afford until schools were built for them.
Jayshree unveils how this made her and her classmates the first generation of literate women in their tribe (Katkari).
Jayashree is the daughter of a tribal migrant brick kiln labourer and the documentary reflects the story of her struggle too. She completed her SSC in Eklavya Parivartan School at Usgaon and is pursuing her higher studies by distance education programme.
Last year, she directed this documentary, which won the first prize at an International Film Festival in New York. This film was selected among other documentary entries from 50 nations all over the world.
The Doha Film Institute will also honour Jayashree for her inspiring documentary, which she made with the support of activist and former MLA Vivek Pandit, who founded Vidhayak Sansad, a social organisation which runs the Eklavya school.
Hindparabha Karve, In-charge Public Relations department of Vidhayak Sansad is accompanying Jayashree to the festival.