Watson Events

Gandhi's Children: Film Screening and Discussion with David MacDougall

Gandhi's Children
A film by David MacDougall
2008. 185 minutes.

A shelter for children on the outskirts of Delhi provides food and accommodation for 350 boys. Some are orphans, others have been abandoned, still others have run away from home. About half are held under a court order, having been picked up from the streets for petty crimes. Living at the institution for several months, renowned filmmaker David MacDougall explores its routines and the varied experiences of several boys. Despite the harshness of their lives, many show remarkable strength of character, knowledge, and resilience. One day 181 child labourers arrive, placing additional strain on the building's deteriorating facilities. The institution does what it can, but is it enough?

A question and answer session with MacDougall, one of the world leading figures in ethnographic filmmaking, will follow the screening. Gandhi's Children stands in stark contrast to his previous films exploring institutions for children in India. In 1997 MacDougall began filming at the Doon School, India's most prestigious boys' boarding school, producing a series of five films, the first of which was Doon School Chronicles (2000). His next project (SchoolScapes, 2007) was about Rishi Valley School, an experimental co-educational boarding school in South India based on the educational philosophy of the 20th century Indian philosopher, Krishnamurti.

Location: Smith Buonanno, Room 206, 95 Cushing Street.