Vranckx & de nomaden
The Chars

Role: Director

Director: Levi Vanderaerden
Production Company: Redhorse Collective
Client: VRT
Year: 2022

Throughout the hilly province of Assam in India flows the Brahmaputra. This immense river originates in the Himalayas and is dotted with sandbanks. On these sandbanks—also known as "Chars"—live 2 million people.

Generations ago, Bengali migrants found a nomadic existence on the Chars. Today, their way of life is under threat. Due to climate change, entire sandbanks are being washed away, including schools and hospitals, and essentially the entire identity of the Char community.

The Hindu nationalist government requires the nomadic Char inhabitants to prove their identity. This can be done by presenting the correct documents, but due to widespread illiteracy and the transient nature of their property, this poses a significant challenge for Char residents. Property papers are often the only way to prove where they come from. As a result, people flee the rising waters but are simultaneously required to continue paying taxes on land that has long since been swallowed by the river. Otherwise, they cease to exist on paper.