GREEN BLACKBERRIES

About the film

Nishu (14) and Nima (16) are daughters of a woodcutter living in a remote village in northeast India. They have to cross multiple hurdles and travel by their own boat, 3 hours every day to reach the nearest school. Nishu dreams of going out of the village and studying in a good school in town. The only way out is if she passes the 5th-grade exams and gets a government scholarship, which her sister couldn’t. But finally, on the day of exams, all the obstacles stand against her to shatter her dreams. Will she be able to overcome the hurdles and be the first one in her village to get the scholarship?

Filmmaker's Statement

Our crew went to shoot an independent documentary in the remotest villages of North East India in March 2018 and found that there are areas with just one Government Primary School for 20 villages, often with a single teacher who has a bare minimum education. The terrain in these areas is relentlessly hilly. Some children walk up to 20 km in this unforgiving land, while others row up or downriver for 3 hours, then walk up to 10 km to get to school. These are 3 to 13-year old's we are talking about. Yet, despite the challenges, these kids haven’t lost their hopes and dreams. And their story is the substance and splendor of our film.

About the director

Prithviraj Das Gupta is an Indian filmmaker living in Mumbai city. A graduate of Delhi University, he was instrumental in setting up the film making society First Cut on the campus. He directed and edited several short films during his three-year stint. He started making documentaries when he associated with India Tribal Care operating in North East India. His films delve into the socio-economic tapestry of Indian life.