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MICHAEL
JACKSON COMES TO MANIKGANJ
'Michael Jackson comes to Manikganj' is a documentary film directed
by Nupur Basu, which complements the
book 'Satellites over South Asia' by David Page and William Crawley.
Both emerged from the Media South Asia project, which was then based at
the Institute of Development
Studies at Sussex University and both were launched at the same
time at the British Council in New Delhi in December 2000.
The film, which benefits from Nupur Basu's close involvement in
the research phase of the project, tells the tale of South Asia's
satellite revolution from a film-maker's point of view. In making
the film, Nupur travelled to the five main countries of South Asia
and worked with local film crews in the first South-Asia wide collaboration
of its kind. Filmed in a variety of different regions - from Peshawar
in Pakistan to Kandy in Sri Lanka - the film covers the impact of
satellite TV on the lives, culture and politics of the people during
the 1990s. ' I wanted to ensure that I had felt the pulse of the
people in the region on this subject' says Basu. ' I interviewed
a whole range of experts on the media and TV practitioners as well
as passive recipients of the programmes, including rural women in
the villages of Nepal and Bangladesh, who reported on how satellite
television had raised aspirations for consumer goods and prompted
a change in lifestyle like no other force has done in the past'.
The film chronicles the fascinating story of the creation of a new
South Asian popular culture by looking at the media companies involved,
the means of distribution and the reaction of viewers to the growing
menu of programmes. It also looks at the role of the state in the
new media environment and government responses to the challenge
of satellite competition. As Director Nupur Basu puts it: 'I felt
it was important to take a close look at what has happened since
the skies opened … and to stress that in a developing region like
South Asia, television could not be allowed to become just an entertainment
tool but ought to be used as a change agent. The film looks at whether
this is possible given the present market compulsions'.
The film is distributed globally by Television Trust for the Environment
(TVE).
It can be ordered on line at http://www.tve.org/mp7/search.cfm
Or you can contact Dina Junkermann, TVE distribution manager:
Tel. +44 20 7901 8834;dina.jukermann@tve.org.uk
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