Drowned Out

“We will drown, but we will not move,” says Luhariya Sonkariya, unofficial spokesman of Jalsindhi, a village in central India about to be submerged in water due to the ill-conceived and possibly illegal Narmada Dam--a monumental engineering project consisting of a mega-dam, a series of smaller dams and reservoirs, and the diversion of the Narmada River. According to filmmaker Franny Armstrong's Drowned Out, this 50-year long project has already displaced 16 million people, with horrifying results; thousands more face the same fate as construction progresses. In this fertile river valley surrounded by forests, the relationship that the villagers of Jalsindhi have with the land hasn't changed for thousands of years. Should they move to government resettlement sites or take a cash settlement? Luhariya visits to the sites, where he learns that the resettlement plans aren't feasible--some spots are on unfarmable land, have unhealthy drinking water, etc. (and government officials admit there isn't enough land to accommodate everyone, anyway). Other families who took the cash option ended up not having enough money to buy another farm; now they're destitute, living in subhuman conditions in city slums. Still others say they were not even offered a choice, but simply thrown off their land. Villagers are now political activists, part of a huge protest movement that includes noted author Arundhati Roy, who has been jailed for her activities. According to Roy, the government's justification for the project was to bring water to drought-stricken lands, but the protesters make a good case that the reasons have more to do with providing water to industrial cities in order to benefit, among others, big agricultural and chemical companies. Combining compelling interview footage with creative visuals (including an animated piece showing how the water will flood villages, and a government promotional video extolling the virtues of the project), this powerful documentary is highly recommended. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights from Bullfrog Films for $275 on either VHS or DVD.]Aud: C, P. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by various crew members, an hour's worth of interviews with director Franny Armstrong and others, the “What Happened Next” Narmada update (14 min.), “Cinema Jalsindhi” with Luhariya watching his first film (13 min.), “Small Solutions” alternates to large dams (7 min.), “A Miracle Growth” helping the Narmada villagers (3 min.), one deleted scene (3 min.), the Adivasi creation myth (3 min.), a “Passing Us By” update from rickshaw slums (2 min.), a 20-question quiz, photo galleries, a newspaper article, and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for a powerful documentary.] (S. DeMasi)