Documentaries

Katiyabaaz

Powerless
Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar
Indien 2013
82 min
V'13

Info regarding the screening on Mon, Oct. 28th: The screening takes place in the night between Sun. Oct. 27th and Mon. Oct. 28th!

A 28-year-old electrician living in Kanpur is renowned for his prowess in stealing electricity. He is a Robin Hood figure who provides free connections in impoverished neighborhoods so that homes, factories and businesses could function normally in the face of lengthy powercuts. On the other hand, the city administration is renewing efforts to clamp down on power-theft, which costs them millions of rupees in losses each year. The story traces lines of crisis and conflict in the course of one Indian summer. A picture emerges of a modern dystopia encompassing urban decay and desperation in the lack of electricity. “Energy is taken for granted in developed nations, however many people in India spend entire lifetimes without switching on an electric device. We were shooting with the ‘katiyabaaz’ (electricity thieves), the bitterest of bitter Kanpur stock. The work is illegal and risky, and hearing of a ‘katiyabaaz’ who got ‘stuck’ due to the strong magnetic pull of high voltage lines is not rare.” (Fahad Mustafa)

In the presence of Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar.

Credits
  • Fahad Mustafa
  • Deepti Kakkar
  • Amith Surendran
  • Maria Trieb-Eliaz
  • Fahad Mustafa
  • Kunal Sharma
  • Maria Trieb-Eliaz
  • Namrata Rao
  • Amit Kilam
  • Rahul Ram (Indian Ocean)
  • Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum
Globalistan Films, ITVS International, Sundance Institute

Cat & Docs

DCP
col
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