IN SEARCH OF GANDHI

IN SEARCH OF GANDHI

    Price: $310.00

    Code: 2318

    Directed by Lalit Vachani
    2007, 52 minutes
    Purchase: $310 / Classroom Rental: $125

    In the early twentieth century, Mahatma Gandhi inspired millions of Indians to rise up against the British colonial state and successfully agitate for the establishment of a democratic and free India. In 2007, India celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of its existence as an independent nation, but what kind of a democracy does India have today, and what does it actually mean to live in the world's largest democracy?

    Adopting the conventions of a road-movie, the film crew travels down the famous trail of Gandhi's salt march, stopping at the same villages and cities where Gandhi and his followers raised their call for independence.

    In keeping with the principles of non-violent protest, the Salt March was a mass civil disobedience movement against the salt taxes imposed by the imperial British regime. The weeks that followed Gandhi's Salt March saw widespread civil disobedience across the sub-continent. Gandhi had inspired millions to go against the grain of imperial repression, but with passive resistance. Decades later, the same public is now fighting internally, creating bloody massacres in Gandhi's own state, Gujarat.

    Tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India remain high, and new tensions are forming between the new middle class and the massive population still mired in poverty. Does the democracy India has adopted adhere to Gandhi's ideals? In Search of Gandhi documents the stories of ordinary citizens in India today to discover the current and future state of democracy in India.

    Subjects & Collections



    Reviews

    “Highly recommended. A most memorable and thought provoking film.” - Educational Media Reviews Online

    In Search of Gandhi is the tragic story of the extent of the failure of Gandhi's dream. Keeping in mind the Massacre of Mumbai and the near collapse of the Western economic system, the relevance of Gandhi's legacy creates powerful resonances between this film and all the others.” - Leonardo Reviews

    Related Films

    TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
    TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
    The educational version of the 2008 Academy Award® winner for Best Documentary Feature, Taxi to the Dark Side is the definitive investigation into the introduction of torture as an interrogation technique in U.S. facilities and the role played by key figures of the Bush Administration in the process.

    IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA
    IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA
    On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was inaugurated President of Liberia, the first elected female head of state in Africa. With unprecedented access, Iron Ladies of Liberia follows her historic first year in office.

    DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT
    DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT
    What are the implications for democracy in Pakistan? Before his sudden resignation, President Musharraf agreed to discuss these issues over dinner at his official residence, the Army House. Supplemented by a diverse range of interviews, this documentary provides an important study of today's Pakistan.

    EGYPT: WE ARE WATCHING YOU
    EGYPT: WE ARE WATCHING YOU
    From the director of the acclaimed Al-Jazeera documentary Control Room, this extremely prescient and insightful film shows how three women activists used digital cameras and a website to expose widespread fraud and violence in the country's last presidential elections - in which Mubarak won with 88.6% of the vote.

    FOR GOD, TSAR AND THE FATHERLAND
    FOR GOD, TSAR AND THE FATHERLAND
    Is the small village of Durakovo - where residents unquestioningly obey a self-appointed leader - a microcosm of Russia today? For God, Tsar and the Fatherland deftly explores what drives the current strain of Russian patriotism, and why many of the country's citizens oppose Western-style democracy.

    LOOKING FOR REVOLUTION
    LOOKING FOR REVOLUTION
    Che Guevara died in Bolivia while trying to ignite the sparks of revolution. Forty years later, the country's first indigenous President, Evo Morales, is promising to continue his work. This documentary takes a closer look at the successes and failures of Morales' 'revolution.'

    BLOODY CARTOONS
    BLOODY CARTOONS
    Filmed across the Middle East, Bloody Cartoons looks at how and why 12 drawings in a Danish newspaper drew a small country into a confrontation with Muslims all over the world. Featuring interviews with key players, this documentary goes behind the controversy to investigate the roots of the crisis.

    CAMPAIGN
    CAMPAIGN
    This is democracy - Japanese style. Campaign provides a startling insider's view of Japanese electoral politics in this portrait of a man plucked from obscurity by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to run for a critical seat on a suburban city council.

    PLEASE VOTE FOR ME
    PLEASE VOTE FOR ME
    An experiment in democracy is taking place in a third grade classroom in China. For the first time, students will be able to elect their own class monitor. A surprising and insightful documentary, Please Vote for Me seeks to determine how - if democracy should come to China - it would be received.