Based on true incidents, Kripal Kalita’s debut feature BRIDGE reveals the unusual struggle and resulting empowerment of Jonaki, a teenage girl residing on the bank of a tributary of Assam’s mighty, overflowing Brahmaputra river, a tributary that is missing a bridge. Shot in a real life flood in a community where survival has an animal-like agenda, the film graphically portrays the devastation but also highlights the invincible optimism of victims who have lost loved ones and homes to the calamity. These folks still love their river, and the community’s collective emotional response–battle with their surroundings, acceptance of Nature’s tune–is part of the film’s underlying theme. For Jonaki and her younger brother, even when hope deserts them they manage to find resilience and courage to start life afresh, trusting that the two of them can build a safe new world, even without a bridge as their main safeguard. The film won a Special Mention at the 2021 International Film Festival of India.

This film is part of a special program entitled “Childhood on Edge”, curated by the legendary Uma da Cunha, who has been IFFLA’s Programming Advisor since the festival’s inception in 2002. The program features six films with diverse characters on the verge of the momentous transformation from childhood to adulthood. 

DIRECTOR

Kripal Kalita is a film director who started his career in video production at Agnibristi. He has directed 12 short films and 15 television serials. He has earned several awards for his films including RED TO BLACK and MEGH THE CLOUD. Recently Kripal Kalita win a Special Mention Award at International Film Festival Of India. BRIDGE is his first feature film.