Australian filmmaker Lisa Sabina Harney's 'Satyagraha-Truth Force', which recently won the best documentary award at Delhi International Film Festival last year, is all set to be screened at Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF).
The documentary tells the story of a group of Indian saints who want to stop the mining on the river bed of Ganga, and Harney feels that by allowing it to be featured at the renowned fest, it will further spread the cause.
"I am glad that MIFF has accepted our entry. We had also won the best feature documentary at the Delhi Film Fest in December last year.
"I believe that by getting the entry, we are spreading the cause and pushing it a little further," said Harney, who attended the exclusive screening of the documentary at the Alliance De Francaise Auditorium in association with Harvard Club of India.
The award-winning director started documenting the life of saints, who are on Satyagraha (continuous fast) due to sand mining by the mafias and the politicians involved with them, in 2011.
The film shows how these saints are threatened, beaten, jailed, bribed and murdered for the cause. The film follows Swami Shivanand as he fights with his life to protect the river.
"I thank Lisa for coming to Badrinath and devoting two years for the cause. We have finally succeeded in saving Mother Ganga. We will not let Ganga be destroyed by the mafia. If one Sadhu is killed, another will stand," Swami Shivanand added.
India is among top three cement producers in the world and the film raises several questions on the environmental impact caused due to mining the stones and sand, which are part of the river.
The cause of the Uttarakhand floods in July was to an extent blamed on the mining industry for damaging the riversides.
"This story is important for India's future. The fact that these sadhus stand tall is because of the truth. The film clearly shows that the reason environment assessment has not been done till date is because the politicians and mafias know that it is harmful for the environment," said Vandana Shiva, an environmentalist.
