Dear All,

 

I hope this email finds you well. Since several colleagues on this forum may be planning a visit to the UK over the summer break, I wonder if you would be interested in attending the screening and discussion of an award-winning documentary film, Sama in the Forest, on June 10, 2025, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Sir Michael Dummett Lecture Theatre, Christ Church, Oxford.

 

Sama in the Forest is a hybrid, feminist and participatory documentary film focused on the power of women’s storytelling in the Mithila region of South Asia. In a creative collaboration with Maithili-speaking communities, the film narrates the tale of Sama, a young princess who wanders into the forest and befriends a young man, only to be slandered by a muckraking confidante of the king, and subsequently cursed and banished by her father, Lord Krishna. The film combines footage of women telling different versions of the tale and participating in a yearly festival that celebrates Sama, the making of elaborate narrative paintings, a dramatization of the story, as well as in-depth conversations about the morals and meanings of this and other traditional tales. Community members of different genders, castes, and generations help paint a complex picture of the social tensions evident in Mithila today.

 

The film is directed by Carlos Gomez and produced by Coralynn V. Davis in collaboration with M. S. Suman. It was awarded Best Feature by the Society for Visual Anthropology at their Film and Media Festival (Toronto, Canada, 2023). It is currently shortlisted for the Richard Werbner Award for Visual Ethnography of the Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival (June 11-15, 2025, Bristol, UK).

 

For queries relating to the movie, please contact: cvdavis@bucknell.edu. For queries relating to the venue, please contact: porters@chch.ac.uk. For any other queries, contact: pranav.prakash@chch.ox.ac.uk.

 

We heartily invite you to attend the event. Please extend our invitation to your colleagues and friends as well. We have attached the poster of the movie with this email. This event is free to the public. There is no RSVP or pre-registration. The theatre will be closed as soon as it reaches its full capacity.

 

Sincerely,

Pranav