Dreaming of Words
Movie poster for Dreaming of Words
Directed byNandan
Produced byNandan
CinematographySurjith S Pai
Edited bySreevalsan RS
Music byArun Alat
Release dates
  • 21 February 2021 (2021-02-21)
(India)
  • 26 April 2021 (2021-04-26)
(USA)
Running time
60 minutes
CountryIndia[1]
LanguagesMalayalam, Tamil

Dreaming of Words[1] is a 2021 Indian documentary film[2] directed and produced by Nandan.[3] Dreaming of Words has received numerous accolades including National Film Award for Best Educational/Motivational/Instructional Film (2020)[4] awarded to Nandan as both director and producer at the 68th National Film Awards.[5][6] The documentary traces the life and work of Njattyela Sreedharan,[7] a fourth standard drop-out,[8] who compiles a dictionary connecting four major Dravidian languages.[9]

Synopsis

Njattyela Sreedharan, a fourth standard drop-out, compiles a dictionary connecting four major Dravidian languages.[10] Travelling across four states and doing extensive research, he spent twenty five years[11] making the multilingual dictionary. This unique dictionary offers a comparative study of Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.[12] Dreaming of Words traces Sreedharan's life, work, love for languages and the struggles to get the dictionary published.[13] The film also explores the linguistic and cultural diversity in India.[14]

People featured

The documentary follows Njattyela Sreedharan's unparalleled determination to compile his 'Dictionary of Four Dravidian Languages'.[15] The film also features P. K. Pokker,[16] former director of Kerala Bhasha Institute, who decided to publish Sreedharan's Tamil - Malayalam dictionary in 2012[17] and K. P. Mohanan, the secretary[18] of Kerala Sahitya Akademi.

Also featured in the documentary are Seetharam Master,[16] N. P. Usha and K. K. Ramesh.

Release

Dreaming of Words had its world premiere at the International Mother Language Day Celebrations[19] 2021 organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and the Ministry of Education (India) in partnership with UNESCO. This was followed by an international premiere as part of Kultura Con[20] at the Brazilian Cultural Center in Angola. Dreaming of Words had its American premiere at the Micheaux Film Festival on 26 April 2021. The documentary was screened at the annual convention of the Modern Language Association[21] and the annual conference of the Linguistic Society of America[22] in January 2022.

Official selections and screenings

Film festivals

Academic conferences

Other events

Awards

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Dreaming of Words: Man who connected four Indian languages". 17 November 2020.
  2. ^ "On the extraordinary achievements of an ordinary man". 4 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Unique dictionary covering 4 Dravidian languages ready". 28 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b "National Film Awards 2022 Complete Winners List: Ajay Devgn and Suriya Win Big". 22 July 2022.
  5. ^ https://www.mathrubhumi.com/literature/features/director-nandan-talks-about-national-award-winning-documentary-dreaming-of-words-1.7721004
  6. ^ https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/interview/2022/07/27/nandan-talks-about-national-award-winning-documentary-dreaming-of-words.html
  7. ^ "Beedi-worker-turned-lexicographer spends 25 years to compile dictionary in 4 Dravidian languages".
  8. ^ "The work of his dreams, and love for words, awaits a reprint". The New Indian Express.
  9. ^ "Docu film features 82-year-old who compiled dictionary connecting four Dravidian languages". 29 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020.
  10. ^ Sajit, C. p. (30 October 2020). "For Keralites, door opens to three other Dravidian languages". The Hindu.
  11. ^ "The Man Who Wrote A Dictionary In Four Languages - Silver Talkies". silvertalkies.com.
  12. ^ "82-year-old Kerala man's Dictionary is in the four Dravidian languages. 25 long years to compile".
  13. ^ "83-YO Kerala School Dropout Creates Unique Dictionary in 4 South Indian Languages". 31 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Inspiring lexicographer breaks the barrier of words and spends 25 years to compile dictionary in 4 Dravidian languages in the South of India".
  15. ^ "For the love of words, 82-year-old compiles dictionary of 4 south Indian languages". 30 November 2020.
  16. ^ a b "നാല് ഭാഷകളിൽ വാക്കുകളെ സ്വപ്നം കണ്ടയാൾ - ഇത് തലശ്ശേരിയിലെ ശ്രീധരേട്ടൻ". 4 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Book Store Online : Buy Books Online at Best Prices in India | Books Shopping @ Amazon.in".
  18. ^ "Kerala Sahitya Academy fellowships for Sethu and Perumbadavam Sreedharan | Kochi News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  19. ^ "Celebrating International Mother Language Day: Program Agenda" (PDF).
  20. ^ "Festival Cinematográfico "Kultura Con" decorre em formato digital em Luanda". 4 March 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Dreaming of Words". 7 January 2022.
  22. ^ a b "Dreaming of Words | Linguistic Society of America". www.linguisticsociety.org.
  23. ^ "CENFLO | Central Florida Film Festival". CENFLO | Central Florida Film Festival.
  24. ^ "2021 Salons". The Black Bear Film Festival.
  25. ^ "True Stories (Documentaries)". Micheaux Film Fest.
  26. ^ "DC South Asian Film Festival".
  27. ^ "Somiant Amb Paraules – Centres Cívics Vic".
  28. ^ "Urban Mediamakers Festival - UMF | Lawrenceville, Georgia USA | International Independent Films".
  29. ^ "Films seleccionados para la 17ma edición!". 4 December 2021.
  30. ^ "Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival". maduraifilmfest.blogspot.com.
  31. ^ "Schedule – SiGNS".
  32. ^ "Programme". 3 June 2016.
  33. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  34. ^ "Muu ohjelma/Other programme".
  35. ^ "ACL2022 | Award-Winning Indian Documentary "Dreaming of Words" to be Screened at ACL2022". 8 February 2022.
  36. ^ "CL, SLL&CS organize the screening of a documentary film 'Dreaming of Words' and a panel discussion | Welcome to Jawaharlal Nehru University".
  37. ^ "Main serial categories left blank in State TV Awards in Kerala". The Hindu. September 2021.
  38. ^ "DCSAACI – A Non-Profit 501 (c)(3) Organization". Dcsaaci.org. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  39. ^ "Award Winners Results 6th Edition | BUEIFF 2021". 29 April 2021.

External links

Categories