SURVIVAL OF THE WEAKEST

  • Elisabeth Dubreuil
  • Documentary
  • 2000
  • 52 min

In India, in the state of Gujarat, there is a revolutionary “institution”, the Open Court, tribunal of the poor, that was set up by one a Ghandi’s disciples just after Independence and run by tribal village communities regardless of caste.In this special court where everybody can have their say (“No silence in this court” is their motto), justice is handed down by villagers on the problems of villagers. The whole community is involved in decisions of compensation and as such, the whole community guarantees that sentences are carried out. The Open Court is a system of justice that is adapted and adaptable to every conflict. It is justice based on promises made before the community.In this region, this “self-managed” justice system is so successful that the Indian Minister of Justice has adopted the model and since 1985 has tried to introduce it in other regions and certain urban centers.

Production
  • Agat Films
  • Blanche Guichou
Coproduction
  • LA CINQUIEME
Distribution Doc & Films International