| The Backward Class | |
| Director: | Madeleine Grant |
| Starring: | Mala Muniswamy |
| Studio: | Affinity Films |
| Runtime: | 91 minutes |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English, Tamil (with English subtitles) |
The Backward Class is a 2014 Canadian documentary film directed by Madeleine Grant. The film follows the success of a group of ethnically disadvantaged students near Bangalore, India, in taking high-school graduation exams.[1] The film, created by a group of graduates of the University of British Columbia,[2] premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in May 2014 and won the Audience Favourite award.[3]
The 91-minute documentary was shot inside the Shanti Bhavan school,[4] by Affinity Films.[5] Grant lived and worked at the school while making the film.[6] The dialogue is partly in English and partly in Tamil with English subtitles.[7]
The film was later screened in Toronto, received positive reviews from Now Magazine[8] and The Globe and Mail.[9]
One of the stars of the film, Mala Muniswamy, travelled from India to attend the film's premiere.[10]
Alex Hutt of Canadian Film Review mentioned that "The Backward Class is definitely a film to put down on your Hot Docs sched."