SILVER

[THE CHURNING]
A treatise on workers’ rights and the inequities of rigid caste systems, MANTHAN was India’s first crowdfunded film, having been produced by 500,000 farmers who donated two rupees each — a testament to the power of collective action. In the film, Dr. Rao (Girish Karnad), a young veterinarian, visits an impoverished village and helps its poor residents set up a dairy cooperative that will get them a fair price for their milk and better their lives. The film was inspired by the real-life milk cooperative movement led by Verghese Kurien, who received an onscreen credit for his contribution to the film’s story. This gorgeous restoration premiered in the Classic section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. DIR/PROD Shyam Benegal; SCR Vijay Tendulkar. India, 1976, color, 134 min. In Hindi with English subtitles. NOT RATED

Restored by Film Heritage Foundation at Prasad Corporation Pvt. Ltd.’s Post – Studios, Chennai and L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, in association with Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (Amul), the cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the director Shyam Benegal.

Also part of the DC Labor FilmFest.

With the presentation of a union card, union members will receive a Silver Cinema Club ticket discount at the Star level.