Oinam Doren’s latest film “Theatre of the Earth” won the Best film: Cinema of resistance award at the recently concluded Signs Film Festal held in Kochi, Kerala from 26- 30 September 2017. The 11th edition of the festival is organized by The Federation of Film Societies of India, Kerala. The film is a poetic cinematic representation on the life and works of India’s iconic theatre couple Late Kanhailal and Sabitri who founded the theatre group Kalakshetra in 1969.
Doren started working on the film in 2012 and it took the international award winning filmmaker more than 4 years to understand the creative genius of theatre director Kanhailal. In the process of making the film, Kanhailal was diagnosed with lungs cancer and consumed by it on 6th October 2016. When the film was shown to Sabitri in her house, she had a hearty laugh in the beginning of the film and cried towards the end.
Indian Express art critic Dipanita Nath describes the film as “It is incredible how the film’s treatment matches the aesthetics of Kalakshetra’s theatre. It is minimal and evocative, each element is important and there is lyricism in every scene.”
