Crossing a river, Losing a self (Short film based on a folktale)

A guru followed by eight disciples is making a pilgrimage to Varanasi. In order to reach the sacred city, they must cross a treacherous river. The film represents a collaborative attempt to creatively safeguard this ancient Indian folktale with the local people of Varanasi. It is an ethno-fiction experiment that retells the folktale through a live performance on the banks of river Ganga; therefore, one can hear the occasional sounds of boats passing and people taking baths or washing their clothes in the river. After multiple local screenings, the film premiered internationally in 2016 at the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) Conference in Milan, Italy.