Aurodhan Galleries Pondicherry Presents at 8.15 pm on 21st October on 33 rue Francois martin
An Evening of Documentary Films
by award winning British Filmmaker Ruhi Hamid
Ruhi Hamid, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, London directs with visual flair and sensitivity to make beautiful, intimate and insightful award winning films.
Ruhi’s interest lies primarily in telling human stories of people caught up in complex political or social conditions in our world today.
She has a talent for gaining the trust and collaboration of those sensitive and suspicious of the media….
Her documentaries are always character driven with strong narratives.
FILM 1
Frontlines Laos
2004 30 mins
Ruhi Hamid and her husband Misha Maltsev trekked through the mountainous jungles of Laos to bring out the first ever footage
of the moving story of the Hmong – a hunted people trapped in the jungle for 28 years.
RORY PECK AWARD Judge’s comment
“Terribly powerful. In a sense this is what journalists should do, tell the untold stories,
go where no one else goes, and push these stories into the faces of governments and those who make decisions’.
FILM 2
At The Epicentre
2006 50 mins
Lampuuk was close to the December earthquake epicentre. The village was flattened. Just one building – the Mosque – was left standing. Out of 7,000 people only 1,000 survived. The film focuses on these survivors as they attempt to rebuild their lives and community. Ruhi Hamid, working alone, spent several weeks living with them. There were constant earthquakes, no infrastructure, and food and living conditions were basic. Ruhi says “my motivation was to tell their incredible stories of courage, resilience and hope in rebuilding their lives.”
WINNER RORY PECK AWARD Judge’s comment
“She renders herself invisible and lets the stories unfold on their own.’
