The Cultural Wing of SLC in coordination with the Human Sciences Research Group (HSRG) screened a documentary movie Occupied (2020) on 11 March at KRB Auditorium. Occupied is a 5 part web series and a long form documentary directed by Sri Pranav Pingle Reddy.
Occupied is the story of Palestine and its people wrought in complexities. Much has been written and spoken about it over the decades and the ground swell of activism, conflict and peace resolutions that have come to pass, bear testimony to its tumultuous history. Invariably, the body of work in the public domain today is largely geared towards stories that speak to the atrocities and injustices visited upon the people of Palestine – stories that are important and integral to the larger discussion on human rights, statehood and the politics governing the Arab world.
Occupied chooses to focus on the young, disenfranchised, Palestinians who have chosen the path of creativity over conflict as a response to the world around them. The individuals featured and the experiences shared by them, speak to a collective reimagining of what resistance in the face of aggression can look like.
Resistance has taken the shape of music serenading patrons at the local watering hole, art that adorns the walls lining pavements and poetry gushing forth from the lips of brave women and men who know no other language.
Occupied is the story of young Palestinians debating the choices made and the path walked – while decoding a future that is equal parts promising and uncertain. It is their celebration of life, love and hope, set against the backdrop of persecution, marginalization and war; with a singular belief at its core – in the end, love always wins.
Sri Pranav Pingle Reddy was born and raised in Hyderabad, Pranav moved to England after completing his Masters in Film and Television Production, from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom. Having successfully directed, filmed, produced more than 10 films both locally and globally, Pranav setup Mirage Media in 2013, with the sole vision of producing films of the highest standard. Pranav’s work can now be seen on many reputed platforms like Netflix, MUBI, TRT World (Al Jazeera), Zee5 and Aha. Pranav and his team at Mirage Media became the only contingent from South Asia, to win at the prestigious Athens International Film Festival, and the renowned International Documentary Film Festival at Amsterdam for his documentary on Palestine titled Occupied. “Our work has and will always tackle developmental, human rights and socio-political issues with the deftness and sensitivity they deserve and we hope to bring more of such stories forward to the world,” says Pranav Pingle who has also directed and produced Qubool Hai, a web series streaming on Aha that talks about the child trafficking in Hyderabad.
March 2024