Dirt
This feature documentary is an exploration of the concept of dirt and impurity. From the slums of Kolkata to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to a barbeque joint in Central Texas, Dirt digs deep into the webs of meaning and feeling attached to that deceptively simple 4-letter word. An odyssey into all things unclean, the film features animation to make Hieronymus Bosch blush and music from Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
This feature documentary is an exploration of the concept of dirt and impurity. From the slums of Kolkata to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to a barbeque joint in Central Texas, Dirt digs deep into the webs of meaning and feeling attached to that deceptively simple 4-letter word. An odyssey into all things unclean, the film features animation to make Hieronymus Bosch blush and music from Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
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writerMeghna Haldar
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directorMeghna Haldar
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producerTracey Friesen
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editorCarmen Pollard
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cinematographerP.J. Raval
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composerClinker
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sound designerDennis Burke
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lead animatorMyron Campbell
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line productionMeghna Haldar
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additional cinematographyMrinmoy NandiKirk Tougas
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location sound recordistPartha Pratim BarmanChris KeylandBen LazardMerce WilliamsGirjashanker VohraJeff Henschel
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3D animatorTrent Noble
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3D compositorDaniel Gies
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assistant cameraJeremy RodgersRobert SandsMonickumar GandhiRobert Simpson
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additional crewRajesh DhamChanpreet SinghTapan SikdarTarun MukherjeeP. ChandrasekharR. MuraliArun Roy
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production managerSugata ChoudhariRebecca Hope SiegelKaushik Guha
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production assistantAnne Margaret ReidBrian BealJesse FlemingFelix Cheng
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film tests - developmentBrian Johnson
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graphic artistCarmen Pollard
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transcriptionPamela Pellegrini
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consultantManfred BeckerAnnie Reid
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participantPuja HaldarSubroto HaldarAnila BhaduriMierle Laderman UkelesWilliam CohenPooja KumarGovind NathAbha BahadurSudama DasMohammad Noor IslamAndrew J. SchorrJuliet M. DervinEileen CleereKevin M. AndersonPatricia Q. RichardsonJulie DulaniCasimira Roca Y ToscasRoss MartinezMichael A. ArmentaSusan DavisRobert JosephRuth WittMichael V. SmithGloria BurkeXavier Benoit BenjaminSarah Theresa Frances Moran
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clearancesFound Images Research
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musicianGary James JoynesCory Melnychuk (Les Robot)
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music editorDennis Burke
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dialogue editorAndre Iwanchuk
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sound effects editorMike Paprocki
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re-recording mixerGreg StewartDon Mann
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re-recording facilityPost Modern Sound
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Super 16mm processingVideo Post & TransferTechnicolour TorontoPrasad Film LabsRainmaker Digital Pictures
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post-production servicesShaman Digital Media
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production coordinatorTeri SnelgroveChristine Sears
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technical coordinatorWes Machnikowski
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production supervisorKathryn Lynch
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marketing managerKay Leung
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program administratorBruce Hagerman
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executive producerRina Fraticelli
Warnings: Language (repeated use of the word “shit,” use of the word “cunt” (53:45), “fucking” (56:44. Disturbing images (photographs of dead/decaying bodies, naked Holocaust victims, dead fetus, artistic renditions of monsters defecating, fornicating). Topics covered: Sex workers, sex, defecation.
This documentary film features conversations about what it means to feel dirty and what dirt represents. A range of people from all walks of life are interviewed. Teachers will need to preview this film to ensure the students are able to handle the mature material. Students could choose one of the angles in the film to research further, such as waste management, agricultural practices, the caste system and discrimination. The class could discuss or debate these topics.
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Dirt, Meghna Haldar, provided by the National Film Board of Canada