POWERLESS

India, USA, 2013, 82’,
Globalistan Films in co-production with ITVS International

 

 

In Kanpur, India, hundreds of people risk their lives to climb up electricity poles to steal electricity in the face of 15-hour power-cuts that have crippled their livelihoods. As police vehicles roll in to stop the theft, the lines are drawn for a battle for electricity. The film examines this conflict from both sides, asking the question if the town will ever be able to lift itself out of this crisis.

 

Fahad Mustafa was born in 1984 in Kanpur, India. He studied History at St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi and Global Studies at the university of Vienna. Deepti Kakkar was born in 1986 in Delhi. She studied History and Global Studies at the universities of Delhi, Leipzig and Vienna. It was during her time as a student that she began to get involved in the areas of social development and sustainable livelihood. She made a short film about microfinance in India Powerless is their first feature-length film.

 

Filmography (selected): 2013 – Katiyabaaz