OdishaPlus Bureau
Acclaimed documentary ‘Kotpad Weaving: The Story of a Race Against Time’ by filmmaker Biswanath Rath, has been premiered on Amazon Prime. The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime US, UK, Canada, Australia, and other English-speaking territories of Amazon Prime.
Kotpad Handloom, a unique tribal textile tradition from Odisha (India), known internationally for its use of natural dye and tribal motifs, unfortunately, has never received the recognition and patronage it deserves. As a result, it’s on the verge of extinction. ‘Kotpad Weaving: The Story of a Race Against Time’; the first-ever Documentary on this subject aims to create awareness on this craft.
‘Kotpad Weaving’ has received three awards and ‘Official Selections’ in 29 other International Film Festivals. The film had its World Film Festival Premiere at ‘Marin County International Festival of Short Film & Video-2018’ held at California (USA) in June 2018.
Talking about the OTT premiere, Writer-Director Biswanath says, “The film has received awards, recognition and love, not just among critics or in International film festivals, but also among the Textile/Fashion Designers from all over the world. The film has also been shown to Film/Textile/Fashion/Anthropology students in many National/International Institutes as part of their academic curriculum”.
“However, this Amazon Prime premiere is surely one of the biggest milestones in the journey of our acclaimed documentary. The entire team is super excited. We are sure, this will mark a new chapter in the Documentary film scene in Odisha. This premiere further strengthens our belief on Odisha’s rich tribal culture, tradition and heritage which have got so many unique stories for the global audience. The documentary film will soon be available on Amazon Prime India as well”.
This was our humble attempt at reviving this ageless craft which is primarily a tribal textile tradition practiced for centuries by Mirgan community at Kotpad region. I felt the need to create awareness not just about the handloom, the dyers and weavers, but also the reason behind its languishing days and probable solutions to give this handloom a second chance”, says Biswanath Rath, the man behind the documentary.