Chuskit

India | Feature | 90 Minutes | Ladakhi with English Subtitles, 2018

4/14/2019 | 4:00 - 6:00 pm

This feature will be preceded by a short film - GUBBARE

The Youth Program prior to Chuskit features short student films about the #metoo movement - parental discretion advised

SYNOPSIS

To chase her dream of going to school in her remote Himalayan village, a feisty paraplegic girl locks horns with her unyielding, tradition-bound grandfather.

Sprightly Chuskit’s dream of going to school is cut short when she is rendered a paraplegic after an accident. She’s confined to life indoors in the company of her strict grandfather, Dorje. Chuskit continues to harbor hopes of school but Dorje tries to make her understand that school can’t handle her needs. As life at home gets harder, her battle with her grandfather exacerbates. Caught in between their struggle are Chuskit's parents and her enterprising brother who want to respect the old world views that Dorje represents, but also want to keep Chuskit's spirit alive. Chuskit will have to get her grandfather to yield or she will have to accept the reality he has chosen for her.

TRAILER

PRIYA RAMASUBBAN

DIRECTOR'S PROFILE

Priya Ramasubban is a reputed filmmaker who has traveled the world for over fifteen years making films for National Geographic, Discovery, History Channel and other major international broadcasters. She is a storyteller at heart and has the ability to deal with complex subjects in a nuanced way allowing for textured interpretation. She has written and directed “Lost Kings of Israel” (National Geographic), “Divine Delinquents” (National Geographic), several episodes on the long-running series “Digging for the Truth” (History Channel), episodes on the series “Into the Unknown” (Discovery Channel), an episode on “Monster Fish” (National Geographic) and several others notable productions. Priya was one of the six people chosen from all over India as a part of a screenwriter’s lab organized by the National Film Development Corporation where she received an opportunity to evolve her story for Chuskit under the mentorship of award-winning Dutch writer Jolein Laarman.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Conversations with my sister, Vidya, sowed the seeds for my film ‘Chuskit’. Vidya has worked with the differently abled in Ladakh for almost a decade. She was instrumental in sending Sonam, a nine-year-old with cerebral palsy to school despite the arduous terrain in her remote Himalayan village. While working with Sonam, Vidya learnt of other such children who yearned to lead as normal a childhood as they could. Their stories were filled with pathos and hardships, yet not one of the children gave up their quest to go to school. That is why I shaped Chuskit’s character to be unrelenting and gave her the spunk to triumph over adversity. For most children outside the West, life as a differently abled person is tough at best and excruciatingly hard at worst. My wish is that a small measure of hope and inspiration stays with the audiences when they walk away from my film.

CREDITS

Editor Jabeen Merchant

Jabeen Merchant has been editing films for 23 years. Her well known work includes commercial releases like 'Manorama Six Feet Under', ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’, 'NH10' and 'Anaarkali of Aarah' as well as indies like 'The President Is Coming' and the National Award winning children's film 'Chahutkan ki Mahabaharat'.

Director of Photography Arvind Kannabiran

A Parson's School of Design alum, Arvind Kannabiran has been working in the advertising and feature film industry for more than 25 years in both America and India. His feature film credits as a Director of Photography include 'NH10', 'Anarkali of Aarah', 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Loins of Punjab Presents' and 'My brother, Nikhil'.

Production Design Aradhana Seth

Aradhana is a filmmaker, visual artist and designer. Her production design credits include 'Angry Indian Goddesses', 'Don', 'Easy', 'Earth' and 'Fire'. As an Art Director she has worked on 'London Has Fallen (India)', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'Stiff Upper Lips (India)'. She has directed/produced over 18 documentary films including ‘DAM/AGE’ and ‘A Suitable Boy’ for the BBC with Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth.

Sound Design

P.M. Saatheesh A graduate of the National Film & Television Institute, Satheesh has worked on numerous documentaries for BBC, National Geographic, etc. as well as several feature films including ‘Mangal Pandey’, ‘Fakir of Venice’, and ‘Baahubali’. Satheesh also won a National Award for Best Sound Design on ‘Kumar Talkies’.

CAST CREDITS

Chuskit Jigmet Dewa Lhamo

Dorje (Grandfather) Morup Namgyal (Padma Shri)

Tsering (Mother) Yanchen Dolma

Stobdan (Brother) Padma Chospel

Sonam (Father) SS Wangchuk

Norbu (Neighbour) Tsetan Angchok

Angmo (Chuskit's friend) Stanzin Ngidon

Deskit (Chuskit's friend) Yanchen Dolma

Ahmad (Doctor) Satyadeep Misra

CREW CREDITS

Written and Directed by Priya Ramasubban