Telefilm on Arsenic Poisoning

This telefilm shows i) how water is tested for arsenic contamination, ii) alternative sources of safe drinking water, iii) symptoms of arsenicosis iv) cures for arsenicosis, v) social costs of arsenicosis, vi) the role of men and women in managing drinking water supplies, and vii) social support for victims of arsenicosis. The film is intended for a general audience in Bangladesh and is presented in the form of a story.

The story begins with a village girl who was very popular amongst the children because she used to tale stories about fairies, and ghosts from underground. A boy of a neighboring village is smitten with her. The parents of the boy propose their marriage. At the registration of the marriage, the father of the groom discovers some spots in the bride's hands. Afterwards the marriage proposal was cancelled. In the story many such "cases" come forward and social issues are dealt with. In the process, engineers test the water in tube wells, mark the affected ones in red and the other ones in green, doctors treat patients who are at the primary stage of the disease, there is discussion and demonstration of the less expensive local food, nutrition issues, need for testing the tube wells every six months, and low cost technology with pitchers and buckets for reducing contamination.

The film has been developed as a story of rural areas like Bangla movies, not as a documentary or educational video. The film incorporates information and messages along the story line. It features well-known actors and musicians to convey information to a broad audience - and to boost its appeal.

Health, Women.

Asked to comment on the motivation for the film, the woman director Nasrin Akhter, noted, "FemCom has initially commenced with a commitment. My organization always works with a social issue in mind and we try to project current views by the audio-visual media. We try to arouse consciousness through the popular screen, TV and video..." Elaborating on the making of the film, Ms Akhtar says" I had to visit several villages in numerous districts where arsenic patients could be found as I though[t] that this may give impetus to the people to take precaution in case of making this film."

Affecting up to 80 million Bangladeshis, naturally occurring arsenic has been described (by the World Health Organization) as the “largest mass poisoning of a population in history.” Arsenic poisoning - triggered by drinking arsenic-contaminated groundwater - causes vomiting and diarrhorea, abdominal pain, muscular pain, skin rashes, and swelling of the eyelids, feet, and hands. Ultimately, it affects the heart, lungs, and kidneys, and can be fatal. In a country where arranged marriage is still the norm, the physical appearance of a woman is a crucial factor in making a marriage. Symptoms of arsenic poisoning - especially skin rashes on the face - can ruin a woman’s chances of securing a husband.

According to ADB, viewing of the film has been widespread, with the Bangladesh Television authority broadcasting the telefilm on its national media channel. NGOs continue to show the film on their in-house systems, and village committees present the film as a weekly movie on their battery-operated systems. An English-subtitled version was also produced for screening in other South Asian countries.

In 2003, Ms. Akter was selected as one of 500 Talents World Wide in the first Barlinale talent campus, organised by the House of World Culture Centre in Berlin. At that weeklong programme (held in February 2003), some sequences of the telefilm were screened.