Battu’s Bioscope

In Europe, the phenomenon of the traveling cinema existed only in the early years of cinema, when the movie theater was still a fairground attraction; soon, most cities and villages had their own cinemas, followed by video-clubs that rented out films. In India, there are still 2,000 mobile cinemas, one of which is “Battu’s Bioscope”, a colorful vehicle containing an old Soviet projector, a few white cloth sheets, and several kilometers of celluloid film. Mr. Battu drives slowly along the sun-scorched roads of India, his quarrelsome assistant Mama at his side, and the young Amit sitting on top of the truck, announcing the next show through a loudspeaker. The elderly Battu is an idealist who thinks you can change people by showing them films. Andrzej Fidyk’s team accompanies “Battu’s Bioscope” from Calcutta, through fishermen’s villages and snake hunters’ settlements, up the distant Orissa province. This is the dwelling place of primitive tribes, whose way of life hasn’t changed for thousands of years. After years of trying, Mr. Battu has finally been issued a permit to show a film to these people who do not even know cinema exists.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.
Script: Andrzej Fidyk
Cinematography: Mikolaj Nesterowicz
Editing: Jan Mironowicz
Sound: Staszek Kolenda
Producers: Andrzej Fidyk
Format: DigiBeta Color
Production Country: Poland-Germany-France
Production Year: 1998
Duration: 59
Audience Prize – IDFA, International Documentary Festival Amsterdam 1998, The Netherlands
Grand Prix – Banff World TV Festival 1999, Canada
Golden FIPA (ex-aequo) – FIPA Biarritz 1999, France
Golden Spire – San Francisco IFF 1999, USA

Andrzej Fidyk

Andrzej Fidyk is a documentary filmmaker, director and screenwriter. He was born in Warsaw in 1953. A graduate of the Department of International Trade Relations of the Warsaw School of Economics, he started working for television in 1980. From 1991 to 1996 he worked for the BBC in the Music and Arts Department and between 1996-2004 he was the director of the Documentary Department at Polish Television. His documentaries have won numerous awards at international film festivals. One of his best known works is The Parade, which depicts the mass parades choreographed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) in 1988. The award-winning documentary Battu’s Bioscope chronicles the visit of a mobile cinema to a primitive Indian tribe that doesn’t even know that cinema exists. Fidyk returned to the subject of human rights under repressive regimes in his two most recent films, Belarusian Waltz and Yodok Stories.

Filmography

1982 Grzes Goes through the Village
1982 Optimistic Film about the Unknown
1983 Alibi for Life
1984 Oriano
1984 Their Theatre
1985 The President
1986 Night in a Palace
1986 Praga
1987 Hair in a Soup
1988 Great Chance
1989 Kapikule
1989 The Parade
1990 Shrovetide
1991 The Devil in Moscow
1993 Staszek’s Dream in Tehran
1994 Heaven of the Defamed
1994 Postcard from Japan
1994 The Russian Striptease
1995 Carnival: The Biggest Party in the World
1997 East of Eastenders
1998 Battu’s Bioscope
2000 Reed Dance
2007 Belarusian Waltz
2008 Υodok Stories