#SapnaMotiBhavnani's award-winning feature doc, #Sindhustan released worldwide today
~The feature doc to have its North American premiere on OTT platform Amazon Prime and the audience from India and rest of the world can watch it online on MovieSaints~
Check out the new trailer - https://youtu.be/agOpfGRiZAg
~Sindhustan is a fascinating exploration of the Sindhi migration narrated through madhubani and ajrak tattoos on her legs~
~Sindhustan which had its World Premiere at New York Indian Film Festival 2019 and Asian Premiere at 21st Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, travelled to 21 international and Indian film festivals and won 8 awards including the ‘Best Feature Documentary in National Competition’ at MIFF 2020 ~
Mumbai, May 12, 2020: After winning the hearts of audiences across the world, renowned celebrity stylist, Sapna Moti Bhavnani’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning directorial debut film, Sindhustan, is slated for a worldwide release with English subtitles on May 12, 2020 The feature doc, which, Bhavnani also produced under her film production banner, Akbar Pains to have its Online Premiere on Amazon Prime in North America and on MovieSaints across India and rest of the world on May 12. The DVDs of the will also be launched on the same day. Aspect Ratio is the Sales Agent of the film and Indiepix Films is the North American distributor. Check out the new trailer: https://youtu.be/agOpfGRiZAg To watch the film online please click here:
India & Worldwide (except North America) moviesaints.com/movie/sindhustan
North America https://www.amazon.com/Sindhustan-Leila-Advani/dp/B0845R4QC1
Sindhustan is a fascinating exploration of the Sindhi community’s migration to India narrated through a series of extensively designed body tattoos, all of which are illustrated on Sapna Moti Bhavnani body. Through the documentary, Bhavnani attempts to also dwell into her roots and the history of the Sindhi community, which migrated in large numbers to India from Sindh during the India-Pakistan partition. The title Sindhustan also refers to the River Sindh, which is Asia’s largest river flowing through India and forms an important part of India’s history.
Sindhustan won the Griffith Film School Award at DocEdge Kolkata 2019 and had its World Premiere at New York Indian Film Festival 2019 and Asian Premiere at Jio MAMI 21st Mumbai Film Festival with Star in India Story, travelled to 21 international and Indian film festivals and won 8 awards including winning the award of ‘Best Feature Documentary in National Competition’ at Mumbai International Film Festival, MIFF 2020.
Sindhustan was inspired by an interesting conversation that occurred between Bhavnani and her maternal grandmother many years ago. Bhavnani was visiting India after staying in the U.S for 14 years. During this time, she was considerably inked; she was desperately trying to hide her inked body. Her grandmother who herself spotted tattoos remarked, “Sapna, you are so old fashioned”.
Sapna was taken further aback when her grandmother said, “You know, when we first came as a human race, we didn’t have countries or governments, we lived in extended families and we all had our markings. We all looked like you. I’m happy to see to you are going back to our roots, your roots.”
Bhavnani was surprised by this statement made by her grandmother as till then she believed the tattoos was her way of rebelling against the Indian culture.
She then set out to chronicle the Sindh community’s history and thus Sindhustan was born. The documentary includes several stories from India and Sindh. It also includes Bhavnani illustrating the Sindh community’s journey through the tattoos inked on her legs, which traces the history of the Sindh community. The tattoos on her legs are designed using the art forms Ajrak and Madhubani which originate from Sindh and India respectively.
Sindhustan derives its title from the Sindhu river. Also, when the Persians came to India, they had difficulty pronouncing ‘se’ and used the alphabet ‘h’ instead. So Sindhu became Hindu and the Hindustan was used instead of what could have been Sindhustan according to Bhavnani.
The celebrity stylist has worked on the documentary for a period of 7 years. During the process, she spoke to people from India as well as Pakistan hailing from the Sindh region, as she wanted to cover all the perspectives of its fascinating history. She also took the help of her friends from Pakistan for shooting footage of Sindh. And thus, the documentary Sindhustan was finally made.
Thrilled about Sindhustan’s worldwide release on two prestigious online platforms after a great run at the festival circuit, Sapna says, “I am so excited to have the WorldWide Digital and DVD release of Sindhustan on May 12th, the same day we won the award for Best Feature Documentary at our World Premiere at NYIFF. Sindhustan is not just a film, it is a movement. It is home for many Sindhi's like me who are clueless of our roots. It is home for many refugees that are trying to find their bearings. It is home for millions who lost their homes during partition. More than anything, to me Sindhustan is hope that one day I will be able to cross the border and touch the soil of my ancestors. I wait with love. Namaste aur Haq Maujood.”
Anupama Bose the India Head of MovieSaints says, “The much talked about MAMI 2019 documentary Sindhustan by Sapna Moti Bhavnani finds a place in our catalogue because of its unique form - where the narratives of partition, displacement, immigration and irreversible loss are told through beautiful Tattoo & Body Art- giving it a unique and extremely contemporary spin. It releases Worldwide with English Subtitles on May12, 2020”
Directors Statement
My ancestors come from a land called Sindh, which was a part of India till 1947. Post which India became independent and split into Pakistan. Sindh remained in Pakistan and the "Hindu" Sindhis were forced either to convert to Islam or leave their homeland. The Sindhis were peace loving people who spent their time singing sufi songs and did not want violence. They left willingly in hordes leaving everything behind. This migration is the largest migration of a culture in history but very few, including Sindhis, are aware of it. In India and worldwide, they had to learn a new language, adapt to new cultures, learn new trades, just to sustain. The lack of a physical "land" has led to the slow death of their culture and language and the new generation has no idea or access to their heritage.
It was important for me to document their journey so that the youth had some information. It took me 2 years to figure out how I wanted to tell this story. It took me 2 years to figure out how I want to tell my story. This moment with my grandma came to mind. I had just started getting inked And remember covering myself to meet my grandmother for lunch one day. She looked at me and called me old fashioned. I couldn’t believe a 90 year old woman was calling me old fashioned. She told me when we first came on this planet we lived in tribes we didn’t have borders and governments and countries. We had extended families and all had their own markings. “When I see you I see you are going back to your roots and that makes me very happy.” It was evident that ink was going to be the ink I would write their stories with. The best way to tell a story is to become the story.
My father was born in shikarpur Sindh in an area called hajampara (barbers street). The fact that I am a barber in my adult like does not surprise me at all.
After partition he travelled with his family by ship from Karachi to Bombay where they lived in refugee camps. My father did not carry the burden of the past with him. He didn’t raise me Hindu or Muslim. Indian or Pakistani or Sindhi. He didn’t raise me boy or girl. I was free to be whatever I wanted. Free of all burdens. He ran a cabaret joint called blue Nile and I grew up with the sounds of jazz and jiggling thighs instead of Sufi singers. Bombay was my Sindh and Sindhi Curry my culture. History books explained Partition just like a doctor explains 4th stage cancer. Clinical and cold. When the government denied me a visa to visit Sindh the land of my ancestors, I became the land. My legs carry the stories of their journey and my feet the lack of our roots. no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark You only run to the border when you see the whole city running as well They say revolutions start from home Home is where the legs are I carry the stories as witness on my legs in a hope that they will never die.
About The Director
Sapna has naturally assumed poster-child status as a powerful female figure. She traverses mainstream success with just as much ease as she skirts the underground youth art & culture movement. Ageless, fearless and forever metamorphosing in her endeavours, Sapna has recently begun giving her celebrity-hood the voice of an activist. Currently Sapna is working on a book for Harper Collins tentatively titled “Chapter One,” Touring the world festival circuit with her directorial debut award winning documentary “Sindhustan,” putting the final touches on her new short “My Dog Is Sick,” and working on the screenplay of her feature “Hara Kiri.” Sindhustan her first feature length documentary has won the Best Feature Documentary at NYIFF, AIFF, IFF Stuttgart, MISAFF, Caleidoscope Boston, Los Angeles Motion Picture Awards, MIFF and An Official Selection at LAHFF, MAMI, VISAFF, CHALTA PHIRTA DOC FESTIVAL, 50th International Short & Independent Film Festival Dhaka, Asia Peace Film Festival, RETH, Vikalp, UKAFF and IMFF and is getting ready for the World Digital / DVD release on May 12 th 2020. Actor, spoken word artist, hair stylist, writer, director, producer- Sapna embodies it all as a visionary and change-maker. The res, like they say, is her story.
About The Producers AKBAR PAINS AKBAR PAINS is an INDIAN Independent Entertainment Company founded in 2018 by Sapna Moti Bhavnani and is based in Mumbai and Kamshet.. At AKBAR PAINS we make indie films of complex cut, capable of capturing the attention through the originality of the idea. We respect the director and his/her vision and like taking risks with authors with an unusual vision rather than working with the orthodox.
About MovieSaints MovieSaints is a 360 degrees Distribution Solutions Provider to Independent films with its own p-VOD (Premium Video-on-Demand) service. It designs customised strategies for filmmakers - combining online & offline screens to help them maximise their reach & monetisation potential. Developed and designed from scratch by founder Priyadarshi Rishiraj, the platform boasts some impressive features like piracy tracking, flexible pricing, customised pages for films, and much more. Anupama Bose (ex NFDC, CNBC, and Phantom) heads content, positioning & strategy. MovieSaints believes that each film is a work of art, a unique expression of the Artist - Filmmaker. Both the Art & the Artist need to be nurtured. Some of the finest voices of our times - Bhaskar Hazarika, Devashish Makhija, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, Abhiroop Basu, Rishi Chandna, Anupam Kaushik Borah ... can be discovered here. In these times of Quarantine it is the ideal destination to discover and support unique and fresh voices in cinema ... easy, with #NoQueues, piracy safe.
About IndiePix Films IndiePix Films, Inc is an independent film distribution and online streaming service based in New York City. IndiePix Films offers a collection that includes thousands of award-winning titles from the festival circuit, popular indie classics, foreign, documentaries and short films. Films can be ordered on DVD as well as downloaded and watched online.[1] The company distributes the movies directly to consumers as well as via national retail channels and select theatrical exhibition. IndiePix also owns Festival Genius, a platform for connecting film festivals to audiences. IndiePix Unlimited, the company's subscription-streaming service, uses Streamhoster to deliver the desktop version for the service, and Ireland-based DMD Max for its mobile content
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