The Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in Karnataka is home to the Soliga adivasis. This film traverses the rich tapestry of the BRT forest and the intricate relationships that the Soligas hold with it. It traces the effects of exclusionary conservation policy, which has led to large scale evictions and denial of rights for Soligas since 1974. Soliga resistance to these changes has stretched across five decades. Their articulations challenge dominant approaches of a conservation model that relies on forced evictions, and emphasises their customary and legal rights to the forest.
With restrictions placed on customary Soliga practices such as swidden agriculture and forest fires, the forest is now ravaged by invasive plants such as Lantana camara. This film is a culmination of a two-decade long collaboration between researchers and filmmakers.Through a long-term engagement, the film documents the story of contestation and loss - both social and ecological - and calls for an alternative vision for conservation.
- Year2024
- Runtime48 minutes
- LanguageKannada, English
- CountryIndia
- PremiereIndia Premiere
- GenreFighting Back
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- Social Media
- DirectorSalman Javeed, Satya Ambasta, Vivek Sangwan
- ProducerSrishti Films
- Executive ProducerSanjay Barnela
- CastDr. C Madegowda, Achugegowda, Ketamma, Parvatiamma, Jadeswamy, Vidyamma, Nanjegowda, Shikari Madegowda, Varun Muralidhar, SK Chakravarti, Dr. Santhosh K
- CinematographerSanjay Barnela, Salman Javeed, Vivek Sangwan
- EditorSalman Javeed
- Production DesignAnandi Mehra, Paromita Bathija, Satya Ambasta
- Sound DesignSalman Javeed
The Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in Karnataka is home to the Soliga adivasis. This film traverses the rich tapestry of the BRT forest and the intricate relationships that the Soligas hold with it. It traces the effects of exclusionary conservation policy, which has led to large scale evictions and denial of rights for Soligas since 1974. Soliga resistance to these changes has stretched across five decades. Their articulations challenge dominant approaches of a conservation model that relies on forced evictions, and emphasises their customary and legal rights to the forest.
With restrictions placed on customary Soliga practices such as swidden agriculture and forest fires, the forest is now ravaged by invasive plants such as Lantana camara. This film is a culmination of a two-decade long collaboration between researchers and filmmakers.Through a long-term engagement, the film documents the story of contestation and loss - both social and ecological - and calls for an alternative vision for conservation.
- Year2024
- Runtime48 minutes
- LanguageKannada, English
- CountryIndia
- PremiereIndia Premiere
- GenreFighting Back
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- Social Media
- DirectorSalman Javeed, Satya Ambasta, Vivek Sangwan
- ProducerSrishti Films
- Executive ProducerSanjay Barnela
- CastDr. C Madegowda, Achugegowda, Ketamma, Parvatiamma, Jadeswamy, Vidyamma, Nanjegowda, Shikari Madegowda, Varun Muralidhar, SK Chakravarti, Dr. Santhosh K
- CinematographerSanjay Barnela, Salman Javeed, Vivek Sangwan
- EditorSalman Javeed
- Production DesignAnandi Mehra, Paromita Bathija, Satya Ambasta
- Sound DesignSalman Javeed