Bhopali

The Indian city of Bhopal was the site of the biggest industrial catastrophe in history, the leak at the Union Carbide factory on the night of December 2, 1984. The mixture of toxic gases escaping from the building took the lives of thousands of people and caused grave and chronic health problems for hundreds of thousands more. That's the history, but this documentary shows that the disaster isn't over yet. The polluted site has never been properly cleaned up, so about 30,000 people continue to drink contaminated water. Sidesh is one of the many children in Bhopal with congenital defects or diseases. The people at the Chingari Rehabilitation Center are trying to take care of them, but with their limited means this is no easy task. Sanjay Verma, who was six months old at the time of the disaster and lost almost his entire family, has been fighting a relentless battle to force Dow Chemical (the group that took over Union Carbide) to take responsibility for the tragedy. But the Indian government now categorically denies that any chemical contamination exists, while Warren Anderson, former CEO of Union Carbide, is enjoying his retirement. The protest organized by the people of Bhopal on the 25th anniversary of the disaster shows that the problem is still as urgent as ever. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)