Double win for Marching in the Dark at 44th Festival International Jean Rouch

We’re very honoured with the double win for Kinshuk Surjan’s debut documentary Marching in the Dark.

The film was awarded with Prix Mondes en Regard & Prix du Premier Film.

Here are the jury statements

First Film Prize

Drawing on a socio-economic tragedy in rural India, made precarious by harmful financial and state logic, the filmmaker places himself alongside women whose indebted husbands have been driven to suicide. With the greatest gentleness, he films of them in particular, her silent face, her precious smile, and her bare forehead. 

Through these fasces, these pay-faces, we share the grief, distress and intimacy of these women. The filmmaker pays restorative attention to these widows ostracized by their own community. He elegantly captures their strength, their gradual recovery of speech and laughter, their desire to lead a better life for their children and for themselves. These women share their suffering and also give each other strength, in a beautiful sisterhood. 

The filmmaker magnifies the sensitive beauty of these widows and, by filming their resilient struggles, helps restore their dignity. 

Mondes en regards Prize

We were particularly move by this film, which depicts the stigmatization of widows in India and their resilience. Indeed, the film accurately depicts the impact of their hubands’ suicide on the daily lives of these widows. They experience this ordeal not only as a grief, but also as a redefinition of their daily lives and their place in society, increasing their difficulties in an agricultural system that leads to the precariousness of farmers. We also appreciated the focus given to the protagonists  who participated in the creation and post-production of the film. Furthermore, we commend the efforts made by the film’s teams to establish a forum for exchange and mutual support, which has had an impact on the lives of these women. This film, with its remarkable technicality and meticulous photography, perfectly represents the “worlds in view” award, forcing us to focus our eyes on these forgotten women that society refuses to see.