One of the films shown at the #InternationalUraniumFilmFestival was "#Jadugoda: The Land of Magic"" by Satish Munda. Unfortunately, the Vimeo link to the full movie isn't working, so here's a YT link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjwwY3GdCAo
Movie description:
"Jadugoda - The Land of Magic
#India, 2023, Director SATISH MUNDA, Producer, RAJAT AGRAWAL, Key Cast, HARISH KHANNA, CHANDA MEHRA, Short fiction, 19 minutes 32 seconds, Hindi, English subtitles.
"In 1998, the town of Jadugoda also called the Land of Magic, is at India’s forefront for mining #Uranium. The economic boost in India is catalyzing the nation’s dream to establish its name in the list of the world’s most powerful nuclear forces. However, due to this, Jadugoda is being continuously poisoned by the #UraniumMining dump. Aloof from the desire for nuclear power and geo-political warfare, the innocent and poor tribals in the town who aim to live a simple livelihood are suffering from these radiations daily. Men are getting scarred and crippled while women are giving birth to stillborn and disabled children. Many women are suffering from infertility too. As a result of this, families from nearby towns and villages are not willing to get their kids married to any person in this village, especially that to women. In these unfortunate times, Dama, a 45-year-old farmer, who resides in the indigenous village Dungridih dreams of getting his only daughter, Rupni married. He is elated that he has received a marriage proposal from a prosperous family for his daughter but in the 24 hours prior to their visit to his house, his anxiousness increases with every passing minute as his biggest concern is to keep the condition of the village hidden from them."
Movie trailer: https://vimeo.com/920385345
A documentary about the situation at Jadugoda can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VGEt_Uy1NU
Article from the Hindustani Times:
Jadugoda: The Nuclear Graveyard
By Chinky Shukla
"By 2032, India hopes to generate 63 gigawatts of nuclear power that would cut its dependence for energy and put it on the path to progress. But progress, they say, comes at a price. Jadugoda, in the eastern state of Jharkhand, is that price.
"This small township is home to the world's finest uranium ore, magnesium diuranate, the fodder for India's nuclear dream and Jadugoda's nightmare. This lethal feed for the country's reactors is slowly finishing an entire generation of tribals living in the area. The photo essay documents this dark legacy of Jadugoda, the horrifying expense of unchecked progress through the eyes of its people.
"A native of Jadugoda, Laxmi Das has had three miscarriages and lost five children within a week of their births. When her ninth child, Gudia, survived, she considered herself fortunate until she discovered that her baby has cerebral palsy and would be bed ridden for life. Gudia passed away in 2012, leaving the scars of her memory. In Jadugoda, a uranium-rich district in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, there are many women who share Laxmi's fate.
The people of Jadugoda are exposed to radioactivity in several ways: uranium mining and milling operations produce dust and release radon gas, both of which are inhaled by miners and cause internal irradiation. Uranium ore is transported in uncovered trucks on bumpy roads, causing radioactive debris to fall off and land on the side of the road. The mine's tailings retain high percentage of the original radiation and are dumped in unlined and uncovered ponds, which emit radon gas and gamma radiation."
https://www.hindustantimes.com/static/groundglass/jadugoda-the-nuclear-graveyard.html
#Downwinders #UraniumFilmFestival #InternationalUraniumFilmFestival #WaterIsLife #NoNukes #NoWar #UraniumMining #NoUraniumMining #EnvironmentalRacism #UraniumPollution
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