Jamhuriyat
Delhi, India | Film Feature
Documentary
In a time where democracies worldwide are under threat, Jamhuriyat is a story of marginalized farmers and labourers, their year long struggle to bring down the most arrogant government in the history of this country to its knees and how that struggle impacts them and their ideas of hope and change.
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$2,704
Goal: $7,000 for post-production
In a time where democracies worldwide are under threat, Jamhuriyat is a story of marginalized farmers and labourers, their year long struggle to bring down the most arrogant government in the history of this country to its knees and how that struggle impacts them and their ideas of hope and change.
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What purpose do protests serve in a democracy?
On November 26, 2020, farmers and labourers’ from the states of Punjab and Haryana in India began the largest protest in modern history. They demanded repeal of three farm laws set to privatise agriculture. Camped on national highways in makeshift shelters to the national capital Delhi, the protestors made the highways their home for the next thirteen months. After a long and arduous struggle of battling the seasons and systematic brutality, they managed to create history when the Government of India relented and repealed the very laws they had ushered in without discussion or debate. As the farmers from Punjab leave these highways and go back home regaining their agency, the legislative elections are around the corner in Punjab. They are again faced with the dillema of who to vote for and how will change actually come about?
Jamhuriyat meaning democracy, is a story of Independent India’s longest running peaceful protest - the Kisan Andolan or the Farmers’ Protest and its impact on legislative elections in Punjab. The film chronicles 16 months from the start of the protest in November 2020 until the state elections in Punjab in February 2022.
The film shuttles between different protest sites on the borders of Delhi and in Punjab as it moves through issues intrinsically linked to the protest like the long looming agrarian crisis and a growing discontent with governmental policies to privatize. Coming from a land of protests and warriors, Punjab becomes the forefront of the struggle. But what is Punjab today? Represented by a growing discontent with the politics of power, women of Punjab assume forefront in the struggle to demand their rights and exercise their "Jamhoori haq" or democratic right - their right to protest and dissent.
Image by Hardik Chhabra
Image by Himanshu Dua
Starting as a reportage of the protest but gradually receding into its background, the story moves to rural Punjab as the protestors make their way home after the victory and are faced with upcoming elections. While the protest and the power of unionizing has enabled them to reclaim the idea of democracy and its spaces that were being lost, what does it mean for a state and its structure where everything eventually boils down to votes? What does it mean for the people and their lives, and their ideas of hope and change?
Our film’s compass is this dichotomy of politics of power versus politics of people in a democracy and how far can it shift the contours of politics and our lives.
SPREAD THE WORD!
We plan to use the funds for post-production of this film. Please share this page with your friends, family, fellow artists, musicians, and anyone who would like to see this film come alive!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Editor's Craft
Costs $2,000
Compensation for our skilled editor who will craft hundreds of hours of raw footage into a compelling documentary.
Director's Survival
Costs $1,500
Essential support allowing our director to dedicate her resources towards the intensive final stages of post-production.
Studio Space
Costs $2,000
Studio rental providing the dedicated space, equipment, and environment needed to properly edit and finalize our film.
Sound of Solidarity
Costs $500
Professional sound mixing to capture the authentic voices, protest chants, and rural soundscapes for that emotional depth.
Team Sustenance
Costs $200
Food and beverages to fuel our team through long editing sessions and collaborative work as we shape this important story together.
Assistant's Stipend
Costs $500
Stipend for our assistant who manages production logistics and handles the countless details that keep our post-production moving forward.
City Connections
Costs $200
Transportation costs for our team to gather for crucial editing sessions and community feedback gatherings within the city.
Digital Storage
Costs $100
Hard drives to safely preserve hundreds of hours of protest footage and farmer interviews of this historic movement.
About This Team
Director, Cinematographer
Hi, I'm Novita Singh, an independent filmmaker and writer based in Punjab, India. Having spent seven years working as a freelance professional for non-fiction broadcast and digital industry in Mumbai, I moved to The Himalayas to make my own films. My debut film, a feature length documentary titled Glide, played on OTT platforms worldwide like Amazon Prime, Vimeo on Demand and Apple TV. The film received the Best Documentary (State) award at the International Film Festival of Shimla in 2019.
Jamhuriyat is my second feature length documentary, which brings me back home to Punjab. The film is based on the historic Farmers' Protest in India.
I also work as a freelance director and scriptwriter for non-fiction content and have worked on films and series for National Geographic channel, The Government of India, Doordarshan, YouTube, UTV and Sony TV. I am also a guest lecturer at Xavier’s Institute of Communications, Mumbai. My writings have featured in The Wire, People’s Archive of Rural India, The Times of India and Village Square. My last stint was with Village Square as an Associate Director for video and photo content. Village Square is dedicated to documenting marginalised stories from rural and tribal India.
Cinematographer
Akshit is a filmmaker based out of Delhi, India. whose work highlights the resilience and struggles of communities across the country. Documenting their stories through a poetic lens, His films and video essays explore themes of resistance and identity. With works published on recognized platforms, He seeks to preserve voices and narratives often overlooked, capturing both the absurdity and beauty of reality. Most of his work is around Protest, Poetry and Hope. His Last two documentaries “Dews of the storm” and “Flame of the forest” were Premiered at IDSFFK and many other festivals.
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What purpose do protests serve in a democracy?
On November 26, 2020, farmers and labourers’ from the states of Punjab and Haryana in India began the largest protest in modern history. They demanded repeal of three farm laws set to privatise agriculture. Camped on national highways in makeshift shelters to the national capital Delhi, the protestors made the highways their home for the next thirteen months. After a long and arduous struggle of battling the seasons and systematic brutality, they managed to create history when the Government of India relented and repealed the very laws they had ushered in without discussion or debate. As the farmers from Punjab leave these highways and go back home regaining their agency, the legislative elections are around the corner in Punjab. They are again faced with the dillema of who to vote for and how will change actually come about?
Jamhuriyat meaning democracy, is a story of Independent India’s longest running peaceful protest - the Kisan Andolan or the Farmers’ Protest and its impact on legislative elections in Punjab. The film chronicles 16 months from the start of the protest in November 2020 until the state elections in Punjab in February 2022.
The film shuttles between different protest sites on the borders of Delhi and in Punjab as it moves through issues intrinsically linked to the protest like the long looming agrarian crisis and a growing discontent with governmental policies to privatize. Coming from a land of protests and warriors, Punjab becomes the forefront of the struggle. But what is Punjab today? Represented by a growing discontent with the politics of power, women of Punjab assume forefront in the struggle to demand their rights and exercise their "Jamhoori haq" or democratic right - their right to protest and dissent.
Image by Hardik Chhabra
Image by Himanshu Dua
Starting as a reportage of the protest but gradually receding into its background, the story moves to rural Punjab as the protestors make their way home after the victory and are faced with upcoming elections. While the protest and the power of unionizing has enabled them to reclaim the idea of democracy and its spaces that were being lost, what does it mean for a state and its structure where everything eventually boils down to votes? What does it mean for the people and their lives, and their ideas of hope and change?
Our film’s compass is this dichotomy of politics of power versus politics of people in a democracy and how far can it shift the contours of politics and our lives.
SPREAD THE WORD!
We plan to use the funds for post-production of this film. Please share this page with your friends, family, fellow artists, musicians, and anyone who would like to see this film come alive!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Editor's Craft
Costs $2,000
Compensation for our skilled editor who will craft hundreds of hours of raw footage into a compelling documentary.
Director's Survival
Costs $1,500
Essential support allowing our director to dedicate her resources towards the intensive final stages of post-production.
Studio Space
Costs $2,000
Studio rental providing the dedicated space, equipment, and environment needed to properly edit and finalize our film.
Sound of Solidarity
Costs $500
Professional sound mixing to capture the authentic voices, protest chants, and rural soundscapes for that emotional depth.
Team Sustenance
Costs $200
Food and beverages to fuel our team through long editing sessions and collaborative work as we shape this important story together.
Assistant's Stipend
Costs $500
Stipend for our assistant who manages production logistics and handles the countless details that keep our post-production moving forward.
City Connections
Costs $200
Transportation costs for our team to gather for crucial editing sessions and community feedback gatherings within the city.
Digital Storage
Costs $100
Hard drives to safely preserve hundreds of hours of protest footage and farmer interviews of this historic movement.
About This Team
Director, Cinematographer
Hi, I'm Novita Singh, an independent filmmaker and writer based in Punjab, India. Having spent seven years working as a freelance professional for non-fiction broadcast and digital industry in Mumbai, I moved to The Himalayas to make my own films. My debut film, a feature length documentary titled Glide, played on OTT platforms worldwide like Amazon Prime, Vimeo on Demand and Apple TV. The film received the Best Documentary (State) award at the International Film Festival of Shimla in 2019.
Jamhuriyat is my second feature length documentary, which brings me back home to Punjab. The film is based on the historic Farmers' Protest in India.
I also work as a freelance director and scriptwriter for non-fiction content and have worked on films and series for National Geographic channel, The Government of India, Doordarshan, YouTube, UTV and Sony TV. I am also a guest lecturer at Xavier’s Institute of Communications, Mumbai. My writings have featured in The Wire, People’s Archive of Rural India, The Times of India and Village Square. My last stint was with Village Square as an Associate Director for video and photo content. Village Square is dedicated to documenting marginalised stories from rural and tribal India.
Cinematographer
Akshit is a filmmaker based out of Delhi, India. whose work highlights the resilience and struggles of communities across the country. Documenting their stories through a poetic lens, His films and video essays explore themes of resistance and identity. With works published on recognized platforms, He seeks to preserve voices and narratives often overlooked, capturing both the absurdity and beauty of reality. Most of his work is around Protest, Poetry and Hope. His Last two documentaries “Dews of the storm” and “Flame of the forest” were Premiered at IDSFFK and many other festivals.