A Rifle and a Bag
Directed by
India, Italy, Qatar, Romania
2020
89 min
- Hindi
Documentary
Somi is pregnant with her second child. A girl, she hopes. Together with her husband she prepares for this new phase of their parenthood. It means that their son has to go to school, but as an ex-Naxalite that is tough to achieve in contemporary India, where people like them are third-rate citizens. They lack the certificates and an opaque bureaucratic process doesn't help. Directors Isabella Rinaldi, Cristina Hanes and Arya Rothe of the NoCut Film Collective concentrate on Somi's close family ties, painting an intimate portrait of ex-Naxalites in India. Once, Somi and her husband were communist rebels fighting for the rights of Indian tribes. However, to safeguard their family's welfare, they surrendered to the government in exchange for marginal compensation and simple accommodation. A RIFLE AND A BAG is an impressive documentary about people forced to give up their ideals to be able to work on their future.
Awards
- Bright Future (special mention) - IFF Rotterdam
Festivals
Credits
- Screenplay
- Isabella Rinaldi
- Arya Rothe
- Cristina Hanes
- Cinematography
- Cristina Hanes
- Editing
- Isabella Rinaldi
- Cristina Hanes
- Arya Rothe
- Yael Bitton
- Production
- NOCUT FILM COLLECTIVE
Isabella Rinaldi
Italy
Isabella Rinaldi was born in Rome. She finished her bachelor's in Film Studies here at the Sapienza University before enrolling at DocNomads. She co-directed the short META LIBRINO in 2013. In 2016, she founded NoCut Film Collective with fellow DocNomads students Arya Rothe and Cristina Hanes. A RIFLE AND A BAG (2020) is the collective's first documentary feature.
Cristina Hanes
Romania
Cristina Haneș (1991) is a director from Romania. She graduated from the DocNomads in documentary directing in 2016. In 2013, she completed her Bachelor of Arts in cinematography in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and Eskişehir, Turkey. Her student films were screened at DocLisboa, MakeDox, and Toronto. Her latest short film ANTONIO AND CATARINA was awarded with the Pardino d'oro for Best International Short Film at the Locarno Festival.
Selected Filmography
Arya Rothe
India
Arya Rothe is an Indian documentary filmmaker. She studied at FAMU in Prague before enrolling at DocNomads. She graduated in 2016. Her graduation film DAUGHTER´S MOTHER premiered at DOK Leipzig 2018. She is a founder of NoCut Film Collective, together with fellow DocNomads graduates Cristina Hanes and Isabella Rinaldi. A RIFLE AND A BAG (2020) is the collective’s first documentary feature.