Mongrel Media presents A David Hamilton Production of A film by Deepa Mehta WATER "Deepa Mehta's Water is a magnificent film. The ensemble acting of the women in the widows' hostel is exceptional: intimate, painful, wounded, jaundiced, corrupted, tender, tough. The fluid lyricism of the camera provides an unsettling contrast to the arid difficulties of the characters' lives. The film has serious, challenging things to say about the crushing of women by atrophied religious and social dogmas, but, to its great credit, it tells its story from inside its characters, rounding out the human drama of their lives, and unforgettably touching the heart." - Salman Rushdie Distribution 1028 Queen Street West Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6J 1H6 Phone: 416-516-9775 Fax: 416-516-0651 E-mail:
[email protected] www.mongrelmedia.com Publicity Bonne Smith Star PR Tel: 416-488-4436 Fax: 416-488-8438 E-mail:
[email protected] High res stills may be downloaded from http://www.mongrelmedia.com/press.html SYNOPSIS Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, the story begins when eight-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence. Chuyia’s feisty presence affects the lives of the other residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist. THE STORY Chuyia is on her way to the village of Rawalpur in a bullock cart. Her skin burnt ebony by the sun, she has bright, sparkling eyes and long hair that falls to her waist. Her tiny wrists have two red bangles each and silver anklets encircle her bony ankles.