IAWRT INDIA

DOES NUCLEAR POWER HAVE A FUTURE? A Panel Discussion

2012-01-22T19:51:00.010+05:30

Alliance Francaise Auditorium

Tuesday, 6th March 2012, 5.00 pm

As a part of the 8th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival, there will be a panel discussion on Does Nuclear Power have a future? with eminent panelists Praful Bidwai, Rohan D'Souza and Hitomi Kamanaka.

This is to contextualise and broaden the debates around the issues raised by the film ASHES TO HONEY: TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE directed by acclaimed activist filmmaker Hitomi Kamanaka.

All are welcome.

TRAVELLING FESTIVAL

2012-01-22T19:49:00.004+05:30

Selections from the IAWRT Schedule are being shown at a festival in Pondicherry University, March 9-11, 2012

IAWRT-SANGAT Seminar: REPRESENTING CHILDREN'S WORLDS: GENDER, MEDIA & SOCIETY

2011-12-15T13:57:00.008+05:30

As a part of the 8th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival to be held in March 2012, there will be a Seminar on REPRESENTING CHILDREN'S WORLDS: GENDER, MEDIA AND SOCIETY at the India International Centre on Monday, 5th March 2012. More information about the Seminar can be found here

8TH IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL 2012

2011-12-07T14:45:00.097+05:30

The 8th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival will be held in New Delhi in partnership with the India International Centre, Japan Foundation, Alliance Francaise and Sangat South Asia.

DATES: March 5 - 7, 2012

VENUES: India International Centre & Alliance Francaise

FINAL SELECTIONS:

We are very happy to announce the list of films selected for the 8th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival 2012. They are as follows:

AFGHANISTAN

Addi - Karima Hassanzadah (2 min, 2010, TV spot)

Hope - Fatema Hasani (2 min, 2011, animation)

BHUTAN

Sooner or Later - Kavita Rai & Ashik Pradhan (2 min, 2011, animation)

The Original Photocopy of Happiness - Dechen Roder (23 min, 2011, fiction)

CANADA

Capsule - Shereen Soliman (5.3 min, 2010, experimental)

Measuring - Nahed Mansour (4 min, 2010, experimental)

FRANCE

Boxing Maidens - Ilana Navaro (40 min, 2005, documentary)

GERMANY

Silence - Ava Lanche (3.23 min, 2008, experimental)

HONG KONG student films

Big Name Fans - Man Uen Ching (18 min, 2011, documentary)

Chinese Opera Boy - Wong Yuen Yin (23 min, 2009, fiction)

Intimacy - Shek Wai Man Ada (24 min, 2011, fiction)

This Pair - Melanie Yee Mei Wong (30 min, 2011, documentary)

20 dollars - Lam See Chit (15 min, 2010, fiction)

INDIA

Chanda ke Joote - Ektara Collective (22 min, 2011, fiction)

Community Conquers Hunger - DDS (20 min, 2011, community video)

Dilemma - Sharmila Samant (5 min, 2009, experimental)

Ek Asha - Jyoti Garhewal & Laxminarayan Devda (11 min, 2011, documentary)

Ghuguti Basuti (A Twinkle Behind a Closed Eye) - Geetika Juyal (15 min, 2011, India, fiction)

The Rat Race - Miriam Chandy (52 min, 2011, documentary)

I Am - Sonali Gulati (71 min, 2010, documentary)

INDONESIA

Yup, It's My Body - Kiki Febriyanti (20 min, 2010, documentary)

IRAN

Reflection - Nassim Najafi (20 min, 2008, experimental)

ISRAEL

Melissa, Mom and Me - Limor Pinchasov & Yael Sachar (54 min, 2010, documentary)

JAPAN

Ashes to Honey - Hitomi Kamanaka (115 min, 2010, documentary)

Autumn Adagio - Tsuki Inoue (70 min, 2010, fiction)

Genpin - Naomi Kawase (92 min, 2010 documentary)

animation films

Gaki Biwa-houshi - Reiko Yokosuka (6 min, 2005)

SPONCHOI Pispochoi - Ikue Sugidono & Miyako Nishio (6 min, 2010)

The Dream in the Dream - Ikue Sugidono (8 min, 2007)

Üks Uks - Maya Yonesho (7 min, 2003)

Vestige of Life - Maki Satake (12 min, 2010)

PAKISTAN

Two Women and a Camera - Madiha Adnan & Nazish Sajjad (32.15 min, 2011, documentary)

THAILAND

The Truth Be Told - The Cases Against Suparna Klangnarong - Pimpaka Towira (105 min, 2007, documentary)

TURKEY

1,2,3 - Nazli Deniz Guler (8 min, 2010, fiction)

A Balloon for Allah - Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen (58 min, 2011, documentary)

I Am Not Sick, Mum - Hatice Kamer (28 min, 2010, documentary)

My Letter to Pippa - Bingol Elmas (60 min, 2010, documentary)

One Step Beyond - Tulin Dag (44 min, 2011, documentary)

Trace - Simge Gokbayrak (20 min, 2011, documentary)

The Last Game - Mujde Arslan (13 min, fiction)

Zephyr - Belma Bas (130 min, 2011, fiction)

USA

Sokak Sokak (Street by Street) - Duygli Erucman (8 min, 2010, Turkey/USA)

SEMINAR FILMS

Invisible Kashmir - Dilnaz Boga (extracts)

Kaveri - Shilpa Munikempanna (20 min, 2011, fiction)

Platform No.5 - C Vanaja (26 min, 2011, India, documentary)

OUR PARTNERS

OUR ASSOCIATES

CALLING WOMEN FILMMAKERS OF ASIAN ORIGIN

2011-09-01T10:39:00.006+05:30

8th IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL

The India Chapter of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television will be holding the 8th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival on March 5,6 and 7, 2012 in partnership with the India International Centre and Sangat South Asia.

The event will showcase the works of Asian women film makers in a range of genres – short fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, community videos and television reportage. The director could be living in any part of the world but should be of Asian origin.

Approximately 40 films will be selected. Though not mandatory, we prefer to screen films made in the last two years so that the selection reflects contemporary concerns and fresh energies.

Selections from previous editions of the festival have traveled to various Indian cities - Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pondicherry, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram. A package was also screened at Birds Eye View Film Festival 2011, London. Another one is to be presented at the 4th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, 2011.

The theme of the Festival in 2012 is MEDIATION, MOVEMENTS AND MEMORIES. The selection of films will explore issues and ideas shaping Asian identities and experiences, offering new perspectives on the contemporary world. Apart from the general program, there will be three curated sections focusing on women directors from

* Hong Kong

* Japan

* Turkey

The IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival is held every year around International Women's Day and is proving to be an increasingly popular event in the city's calendar. Members of the India Chapter volunteer their time and resources to put this annual festival together. We believe in the wealth of talent and potential that Asian women bring to film and wish to educate audiences about the diversity in documentaries and short films.

We take this opportunity to invite you to participate in the event. There is no entry fee.

The deadline for entries is October 30, 2011. Results will be declared by December 15, 2011.

We look forward with great pleasure to receiving your films.

For Entry Form and inquiries write to:

Jai Chandiram, Festival Director, jaichandiram@yahoo.co.in

Reena Mohan, Festival Co-Director, iawrtindiafestival@gmail.com

RULES & REGULATIONS FOR ENTERING YOUR FILM

Festival of Emerging Cinemas: A Report

2011-09-01T10:36:00.000+05:30

The Festival of Emerging Cinemas was held at India Habitat Centre, Delhi from August 8 to 12, 2011. A report on the festival is available here.

Festival of Emerging Cinemas: Schedule

2011-09-01T10:34:00.000+05:30

Festival of Emerging Cinemas

Connecting Indias

August 8-12, 2011, 7 pm onwards

Venue: Gulmohar, Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Monday, 8 August

BAHA (Sadri/Nagpuri, 112 min, 2009)

Dir: Shriprakash

A young tribal man’s dream of becoming a singer against the backdrop of the Jharkhand music industry

Tuesday, 9 August

MALEGAON KE SHOLAY (Hindi, 150 min, 1999)

Dir: Shaikh Nasir

An innovative and delightful reworking of the Bollywood classic ‘Sholay’

Wednesday, 10 August

Presentation on MUSIC VIDEOS OF UTTARAKHAND by Journalist/Musician Himanshu Joshi

THE LAMENT OF NIYAMRAJA (Kondh, 13 min, 2007)

Dir: Suryashankar Dash

The song of a mountain that is sold to a mining company by the government, sung by a bard of the Dongaria Kondh adivasi community who consider the mountain sacred

GADI LOHARDAGA MAIL (Nagpuri, 27 min, 2006)

Dir: Meghnath & Biju Toppo

A musical journey intertwining the pathos of the peoples’ struggle for survival and the end of a narrow gauge train between Ranchi and Lohardaga

SONA GAHI PINJARA (Kurukh, 20 min, 2011)

Dir: Biju Toppo

A musical short fiction film about how people from tribal communities are unable to attend their festivals back home because the official set up does not recognise them

Thursday, 11 August

TOKSKAL (Ladhaki, 80 min, 2004)

Dir: Jigmet Omachik

A historical costume drama based on a traditional Ladhaki tale exploring truth and love

Friday, 12 August

THE SUN IS STILL NOT SETTING (Manipuri, 27 min, 2010)

Dir: Suvas Elangbam

A poignant film that captures the simplicity and gentleness in the life of a little girl living with her grandfather in the backdrop of strife torn Imphal

BRIEF COMPANION IN A CAPITAL CITY (Manipuri/Hindi/Assamese/English, 65 min, 2009)

Dir: Dorendra Waribam

A deeply personal exploration of the city of Delhi through the eyes of an ‘outsider’

CALLING ALL THE WOMEN FILM MAKERS OF ASIAN ORIGIN

2011-08-18T07:33:00.004+05:30

8th IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL

Approximately 40 films will be selected. Though not mandatory, we prefer to screen films made in the last two years so that the selection reflects contemporary concerns and fresh energies.

* Hong Kong

* Japan

* Turkey

A fourth package will be of films about contemporary childhood.

We take this opportunity to invite you to participate in the event. There is no entry fee.

The deadline for entries is September 30, 2011. Results will be declared byNovember 30, 2011.

We look forward with great pleasure to receiving your films.

For Entry Form and inquiries write to:

Jai Chandiram, Festival Director, jaichandiram@yahoo.co.in

Reena Mohan, Festival Co-Director, iawrtindiafestival@gmail.com

RULES & REGULATIONS FOR ENTERING YOUR FILM

FESTIVAL PARTNERS:

Festival of Emerging Cinemas - in the Press

2011-08-10T08:45:00.011+05:30

Delhi greets reels from Ranchi

An article on the films from Jharkhand being screened at the festival in The Telegraph Click here for the article

National screening boost to regional films

Another article on the Festival of Emerging Cinemas in The Pioneer Click here for the article

Taking Root

A curtain raiser on the festival in Time Out by Uday Bhatia Click here for the article

2011-07-23T13:50:00.019+05:30

FESTIVAL OF EMERGING CINEMAS Connecting Indias

August 8-12, 2011

Organised by IAWRT, Chapter India

In association with India Habitat Centre

Time: 7 pm

Venue: Gulmohar, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Curated by: Jai Chandiram and Anupama Srinivasan

The Festival of Emerging Cinemas is a celebration of the diversity in creative expression of the cinemas that are emerging in the towns and villages of India. These are made by people driven by love for cinema and/or irrepressible urge to talk about a social or political issue. The filmmaker may be a social activist or a bollywood buff, a trained director or a self taught practitioner. They live and work in Ranchi, Imphal, Leh, Niyamgiri, Malegaon and other towns, and make films largely for the local people using innovative ways to tackle the paucity of financial resources. Their films are different in identity, style and content from what is generally seen in Delhi and other metros. They are films which have something to say, speak in a local idiom, and are rooted in the region.

The films—features, short fiction, documentaries and music videos will be shown at Habitat Centre on five evenings (August 8-12). The festival is envisioned as a platform for dialogues between the different Indias that coexist, but usually do not interact with each other.

Click here for Schedule

IAWRT Package at 4th Kerala International Short and Documentary Festival, Trivandrum, July 29-August 2, 2011

2011-07-23T13:40:00.004+05:30

Selections from our 2010 and 2011 programmes are being screened at the 4th Kerala International Short and Documentary Festival, Trivandrum, being held from July 29 till August 2, 2011

The following films will be screened:

AFGHANISTAN

BRICKS AND DREAMS (documentary, Sediqa Rezaei, 2010, 20 min)

Part of a series of 6 documentaries produced by Atelier Varan, Paris. About a boy who works as a labourer in a brick kiln – his friendships, occasional visits to his family and his dreams for a better life.

HALF VALUE LIFE (documentary, Alka Sadat, 2007, 30 min)

The film explores the life and work of Marya Bashir, the first Afghani female public prosecutor working in the Herat province for elimination of violence against women. Such is the resistance against her from criminals, mafia bands and narcotics smugglers that one day she returns to find her house has been blasted.

AUSTRALIA / JORDAN

JAILING THE INNOCENT (documentary, Yaara Bou Melham, 2009, 18 min)

Every year up to 20 Jordanian women are murdered in honour killings. In response, the country's 12 governors have been given the power to lock up the innocent victims under the guise of keeping them safe rather than go after the would-be perpetrators.

IRAN

HOW GREEN WAS OUR VALLEY (documentary, Fereshteh Joghataei, 2009, 32 min)

A dam has been built and the water is rising. 63 villages will be flooded and the residents must be uprooted. People wait for a miracle at a holy shrine.

VIRGIN (documentary, Tahereh Hassanzadeh, 2009, 45 min)

Looking at the question of virginity for Iranian girls.

PAKISTAN

TWO STEPS FORWARD (documentary, Gulnar Tabassum, 2010, 30 min)

The film looks at the peasant movement that started in Pakistan in 2000 in 10 districts of Punjab. It consisted of around one million peasants who rose up in response to the forced imposition of a contract system with regard to military farms. This had the effect of denying the peasants their inheritance rights acquired by virtue of having tilled the lands for decade. The peasants of Punjab raised their voice against this injustice with the women stepping forward and forming their “Thappa Force” in response to the military's use of various tactics and violence to suppress the male peasants. The women acted as the frontline fighters of the movement from 2001 to 2004. Their determination eventually left the military with no choice but to step back.

PHILIPPINES

MEMORIES OF A FORGOTTEN WAR (documentary, Sari Dalena & Camilla Benolirao Griggers, 2001, 61 min)

In the decade following the Spanish-American War, more Filipinos were killed by US troops than by the Spanish during the 300 years of colonial rule. More than 1 million Filipinos died between 1899 and 1913. This experimental documentary about the Philippine American War of 1899 combines archival photographs and turn of the century film, digital video and 16mm footage to create memories of a forgotten history. A contemporary Filipina-American narrator weaves this complex history through historiography, experimental documentary and intercultural cinema. Shot on location in the Philippines and edited in the US, the film was produced by an international team of Filipino and American media artists.

THAILAND

THE VALUE OF A TREE (animation, Salisa Piencharoen, 2008, 4 min)

When nature is being destroyed by human being's developing technology, the effects of natural disasters become severe and difficult to control.

BANGKOK BLOODY RAMEN (short fiction, Navarutt Roongaroon, 2009, 30 min)

Ken and his wife arrive in Bangkok as ordinary Japanese tourists. The strange thing is that Ken asks his Thai guide, Fon, to take them to try local noodles all the time. At each noodle shop, Ken tastes the soup and the noodles with utmost concentration. He then compares the soup with a brown stain on an annonymous postcard sent from the Pra Nakorn area of Bangkok.

UNITED KINGDOM

AFGHAN GIRLS CAN KICK (documentary, Bahareh Hosseini, 2009, 50 min)

Teenage girls break the stereotypes set by an intensely conservative Afghan society, escaping grinding poverty, gaining self esteem and confidence as players in the first ever women's national football team.

INDIA

IS IT JUST A GAME? (experimental, Shakuntala Kulkarni, 2007, 5 min)

Kabbadi is a game the film maker played as a young girl, for pure fun and joy. Now as a grown up, she asks ''Is it just a game?” An attempt to address and challenge issues of power versus victimization, violence and viciousness, within the politics of gender, caste and race the world over.

TITLI UDI (experimental, Payal Kapadia, 11 min)

A young woman digs into her past, both personal and political, in the hope of discovering her own voice. Finally the goddess Santoshi Maa grants her a wish.

THE STITCHES SPEAK (animation, Nina Sabnani, 2009, 12 min)

Celebrates the art and passion of the Kutch artisans associated with Kala Raksha.

BHAJ DAUD (animation, Amaranta Nehru/NID student film, 2009, 5 min)

New gifts threaten a family's happiness.

PENCH (TANGLE) (animation, Mrinalini Kannan/ NID student film, 2009, 5 min)

During the month of Utarayan in Ahmedabad, many birds die when kites with glass coated threads are flown all over the city. An appeal to use cotton thread for kites.

THE FUTILE SEED (animation, Piyali Barua/NID student film, 2009, 5 min)

A man plants a tree and despairs of ever seeing it grow. But one day there's a surprise!

SATTALA BARI (The Seven Storeyed House) (animation, Debjani Mukherjee/NID student film, 2008, 5 min)

A Bengali nonsense rhyme with quirky visualisation.

CALLING ALL WOMEN FILM MAKERS OF ASIAN ORIGIN

2011-05-26T12:41:00.034+05:30

8th IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL

The India Chapter of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television will be holding the 8th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival at the India International Centre, New Delhi, on March 5,6 and 7, 2012.

Approximately 40 films will be selected. Though not mandatory, we prefer to screen films made in the last two years so that the selection reflects contemporary concerns and fresh energies.

* Hong Kong

* Japan

* Turkey

A fourth package will be of films about contemporary childhood.

We take this opportunity to invite you to participate in the event. There is no entry fee.

The deadline for entries is September 30, 2011. Results will be declared by November 30, 2011.

We look forward with great pleasure to receiving your films.

For Entry Form and inquiries write to:

Jai Chandiram, Festival Director, jaichandiram@yahoo.co.in

Reena Mohan, Festival Co-Director, iawrtindiafestival@gmail.com

RULES & REGULATIONS FOR ENTERING YOUR FILM

8th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival: Call for entries

2011-05-25T13:31:00.017+05:30

The 8th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival will take place in New Delhi from 5 - 7 March 2012.

The event will showcase the works of Asian women directors in a range of genres - animation, documentary, experimental, short fiction and television reportage. The director could be living in any part of the world but should be of Asian origin.

Apart from the general program, there will be three curated sections focusing on women directors from

Hong Kong

Japan

Turkey

A fourth package will be of films about contemporary childhood.

There are no fees for this, but please read about some important instructions with regard to eligibility.

The Rules and Regulations are available here.

Email us at iawrtindiafestival@gmail.com for Entry Forms and Rules & Regulations

Entry is open to all films completed between 2009 - 2011. Although any cut off dates are not strictly followed, IAWRT India would prefer to screen films made in the last two years so that the selection reflects current concerns and fresh energies.

The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2011. Results will be declared by November 30, 2011.

Looking forward to exciting films!

7th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival : March 5-8, 2011

2011-02-02T12:49:00.093+05:30

Venue

India International Centre, Lodi Estate, New Delhi

Entry Free

The festival is being organized by the International Association for Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) India Chapter

in partnership with

India International Centre, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and Sangat South Asia

The festival will showcase the works of women film makers of Asian origin in a range of genres representing a diversity in country, content and form. The term ''Asian'' refers to origin – the film maker can be working in any part of the world.

Approximately 50 films will be screened, running the gamut from international favourites to artistic experiments along the fringes of the genre to community videos and films made by university students.

30 FOREIGN FILMS ARE SOUTH ASIAN PREMIERES.

OVER 20 FILMMAKERS WILL BE PRESENT FOR DISCUSSION AFTER THEIR SCREENINGS

Highlights include Byambasuren Davaa's THE TWO HORSES OF GENGHIS KHAN; Gulnar Tabassum's latest TWO STEPS FORWARD; Soniya Kirpalani's LOVE ARRANGED; MADE IN INDIA by Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha which premiered at Hot Docs, 2010; BEATING TIME by Odette Orr and MEMORIES OF A FORGOTTEN WAR by Sari Dalena.

Three packages that combine an engaging mix of animation, short fiction, experimental and documentary films from:

• Afghanistan
• Canada
• Thailand

Travelling Festival
Selections from the 2010 and 2011 programmes are being screened in Pondicherry on March 15 and 16, 2011.

Partners

Associates

Selections from our IAWRT 2010 and 2011 programmes are being screened at Birds Eye View Film Festival, London to be held from March 8-17, 2011

Acknowledgements
IAWRT would like to thank His Excellency Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Ambassador of India to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and his staff, in particular Mr. JP Singh, Anwar Jamal, Aruna Vasudev, Atrix Films, Chalida Uabumrungjit,
Cuneyt Cebenoyan, Haema Sivanesan, Indu Ramchandani, Jit Phokaew,
Kamla Bhasin, Kunal Batra, Lawan Jirasuradej, Malavika Venugopal, Nandini Bedi,
N. Pushpamala, Paromita Vohra, Ranjana Mohan, Rita Vachani, Ritu Khanna, Robin Mallick,
Sagarika Sundaram, Siddiq Barmak, Som,
Taran Khan, Teteii, Uma Chakravarti, Urvashi Butalia, Varsha Nair

Festival Team

Festival Director : Jai Chandiram
Co-Director/Programme Coordinator : Reena Mohan

Treasurer : Renuka Sharma

Blog : Uma Tanuku
Hospitality : Shazia Ilmi, Uma Tanuku

Moderators: Samina Mishra, Subi Chaturvedi

Poster : Purnima Rao
Press & Publicity : Uma Tanuku

Sponsorships : Aradhana Kohli, Jai Chandiram, Reena Mohan
Technical Support : Naveen Gautam, Nirmal Chander, Yousuf Saeed

Other Volunteers : Anupama Srinivasan, Kiron Bansal, Ratnabali Mitra

Festival Schedule
The Festival will be for three days - 5th, 7th and 8th of March.
Click here for the detailed schedule
5th March 7th March
8th March

Report on the 6th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival, Seminars and Exhibitions

2010-05-07T09:49:00.005+05:30

BREAKING BOUNDARIES,SHARED SPACES

Report on the 6th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival, Seminars and Exhibitions

India International Center, New Delhi, March 6-8, 2010

A big thank you from IAWRT India to the India International Centre, our participants, members, friends, families and well wishers and all those who contributed in so many wonderful and unique ways to making the 6th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival 2010 and associated events such a success.

We are very happy to report that each of our day-long events saw not only a good turnout in terms of numbers, but also engaged and informed conversations between the seminar panelists, filmmakers and audiences.

BREAKING BOUNDARIES, SHARED SPACES, the 6th edition of the IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival, began with two seminars on Saturday, March 6, 2010.

The purpose of the first seminar WOMEN AND PUBLIC SPACE was to understand what public space signifies for women of all categories: to what extent are they able to access it and what are the challenges they face when they do so?

In her opening address, Jai Chandiram said that the hardest battle in India today is to realise our constitutional rights, as many women are overpowered by norms of caste,tradition, gender and religion. To understand the suppressed histories of gender exploitation, and the stories of the heroic struggles and triumphs of women engaging with life, we need to unlearn male institutional thinking. In doing so, we also create a new language of creative expression. Jai expressed her belief that the seminars and films were providing an important space for sharing. She said it has taken us 15 long years to bring about the representation of women in Parliament. The struggle to do so reflects the polity and beliefs that dominate us so forcefully. She hoped that while tracing the stories of extraordinary women whose courage and vision transcended the extreme conditions of their times, the different papers would provide inspiration and strength for the audience.

In all, eight papers were presented by academics, journalists and activists.

Dr.Taisha Abraham’s Sathin Bhanwari Revisited reminded us that, eighteen years after the rape of Sathin Bhanwari, the case is still with the Supreme Court. Bhanwari continues to live in the same village with the rapists. Dr.Abraham analysed the rape case through the lens of the judiciary and citizenship, both of which, through their universalizing tendencies, were found wanting when it came to women’s issues.

Krishna Menon’s paper on Caste and Gender elaborated on some of the issues relating to Dalit women and their resistance to being absorbed by mainstream feminism. Dr. Menon stated that Dalit women were advocating a separate space in which they could negotiate the complex intersections of caste, class and gender for self-definition. This would enable them to locate themselves in the larger feminist movement.

In Women and Disability, Anita Ghai defined public space as catering only to able-bodied people. What does democracy mean for a disabled woman, she queried. Her paper highlighted the patriarchal nature of society and its hostile attitude towards disabled people. She reminded her audience that in fact disability itself is a social construct and even ablebodied people could be disabled due to illness, accidents etc.

Smita Gupta presented Deve: A Profile In Courage in which she recounted her recent visit to the Dantewada district of Chattisgarh as a journalist. In this region, where the state has abdicated its responsibility a long time ago, the tribals are caught in the crossfire between the Maoists and the security forces. She narrated the story of Deve, a schoolteacher living in the village with her two daughters and facing up to the daily challenges of a conflict-ridden scenario. Her husband and son have moved to the relative safety of the nearby town but Deve has chosen to continue living in the village in order to help her fellow villagers. Truly a profile in courage.

Karen Gabriel’s paper on the Iconography of Bharat Mata showed through images how the emergent nation, while presenting itself as secular, was in fact projecting a Hindu, upper caste image. In some of the images shown, Bharat Mata is portrayed as a Hindu bride, safely enclosed by prominent political and religious leaders.

Sheeba Aslam’s Muslim Women and Public Space: Entry Denied? revealed how Muslim women in India are deliberately kept out of public spaces such as the mosque, in order to deny them even the most basic liberties. On the other hand, Ashish Koul’s paper on Jahanara Shahnawaz and the Muslim League showed how a woman in the 1930s and 1940s made some very independent political choices. Through this biographical sketch, Koul explored the dynamics of women in the Muslim League in the pre-Independence period.

Visalakshi Menon’s paper on Two Pioneering Women of the Twentieth Century:
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Durgabai Deshmukh traced the remarkable lives of
these two women who broke out of the confines of early matrimony and devoted
themselves to politics and public service. Both were great institution builders as is evinced by the Central Cottage Industries Emporium and the Blind Relief Association in New Delhi. Both were also closely associated with the India International Centre and hence it was befitting that they should have been remembered in these precincts.

We had a full house of active and vocal listeners. Media students and people from different walks of life participated in the discussions during the seminar and all the papers were very well received.

While the morning session was quiet and thought provoking, the afternoon seminar CAUGHT IN A MADDING MASS MEDIA was fiery and generated a great deal of interest in how viewers respond to serials and reality shows. In the first part of the session Changing Representation: Are We Confronting ''Real'' Issues? moderated by Poonam Saxena, many panelists expressed dissatisfaction over representations of the characters and narratives which are largely traditional, stereotypical and unrealistic. They said this impacts on the aspirations, self esteem and negotiating space of the viewers, particularly women.

However, the channel representatives from BAG Films and Colours claimed thay do not have much control over the storyline stating that it is the TRPs which influence and determine the narratives and representations in the soaps.

The second half Viewers Speak: What We Think About TV? was moderated by Sevanti Ninan. The panel comprised a child psychologist, women from middle class families, women residing in bastis, people with disability and students of journalism. They emphasised how television soaps perpetuate stereotypes despite pretensions of bringing about social change. They said the focus, themes and situations were not only repetitive, but far removed from authenticity as real people neither dress, speak nor behave in the manner depicted in the programmes.

The session ended with plans of setting up an informal body to monitor and address some of the issues raised. The body would have a diverse representation from CFAR members, representatives of television channels, viewers groups, psychologists and academics.
The film festival was formally inaugurated by Mrinal Pande, Chairperson of Prasar Bharati, on Sunday, March 7, 2010. Mrinal recalled her childhood experiences of viewing Hindi feature films in Almora, a small town in the UP hills. The heightened expressions of those black and white images reflected yearnings and fantasies which she, as a child, could not have articulated because of societal constraints.

The festival showcased the work of Asian women filmmakers in a range of genres - fiction, non-fiction, television reportage and animation - representing diversity in country, content and form. 24 films selected from over 160 entries were finally screened. The countries represented were Australia, Bangladesh, France, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Norway, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea and Sri Lanka.

The festival had two world premieres. The first was the inaugural film The Stitches
Speak by Nina Sabnani which recounts stories of partition, of loss and resilience. Nina enjoys transposing folk art traditions into animation and this film celebrates the art and passion of the Kutch artisans associated with Kala Raksha. Unfortunately Nina could not attend the festival because of her doctoral research, but it was a privilege to have the producer, Judy Frater, attend the festival.

The second world premiere was Anoma Rajakaruna's Our Story: Women who Love
Women which was revealing in its examination of banned relationships. Due to censorship in Sri Lanka, the film is unlikely to be screened in public. Anoma was also present at the festival and both films were followed by animated discussions.

The festival had another first – a presentation by a filmmaker on the expanding content and aesthetics of her work. Past editions of the IAWRT festival have screened the works of Nilita Vachani, but it was a joy to walk through her work with her. She took ''ordinary'' persons and revealed the ''extraordinary'' in them through her empathetic treatment. Her film Eyes of Stone (1990) continues to be a path breaker, inspiring large numbers of media students in understanding gender. We hope to make this first person lecture a continuing tradition at the festival.

Last year, a beginning had been made to include works by non-Asian women filmmakers
who have focused on Asia or how ''others see us'' so as to widen the perspective of the festival. This year the programme included Rock Heart Beijing by Karen Winther, a Norwegian filmmaker. The film provided a rare glimpse into the life of a rock star in China, a society where rock music is silenced by censorship.

French director, Fatma-Zohra Zamoum, was another visitor to the festival. She plays herself in a highly original and intriguing debut, Z’har (Un-Lucky) which interweaves a documentary-style account of her return to Algeria to shoot a film with a mysterious, artfully-shot, fictional narrative. Z'har was viewed with interest as it pushed the boundaries of documentary and fiction.

Fereshteh Joghataei's How Green was our Valley was a lyrical look at a similar situation as the Narmada displacement in India, gentle in the power of telling the story differently. This award winning film is a deeply original and personal take on a collective drama, with a nod in the title to a 1941 film that tells a similar story in a Welsh accent. Fereshteh captures the shift from pastoral to industrial values as experienced by people with no organized response to “progress”. Fereshteh was to attend the festival along with her family. Her husband is the producer and cameraman of the film. Unfortunately, their visas were denied.

Anupama Sirinivasan's film I Wonder is a journey with children from rural parts of Rajasthan, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu as they traverse through school, home and life. What does school mean to children? What kind of learning takes place within the school and outside it? It looks at their everyday experiences, inviting the audience to ponder on what education is, what it could be. Anupama's presence enlivened the discussion following the screening.

Resilience and Escape were two films set in family situations that moved the audience with their quiet story telling. The first is a documentary about a Korean birth mother and her American son who re-unite after thirty years. It is a story about loss, separation and building broken ties. The second explores the relationship between an orphaned nine year old boy and his grandfather.

The festival also featured films by students who are capturing vivid fragments of realities in animation, fiction and non-fiction forms. Three of the films – In Transit, Tran Eka Tran, Pech - received Certificates of Merit.

On the whole, the festival was very well attended with packed houses for Supermen of Malegaon, Rock Heart Beijing, Afghan Girls Can Kick, A Small Dream, Virgin and Had Anhad. In their different styles, but with tremendous impact, the films drew enthusiastic applause and responses which indicated the programme was a huge success... unusual for an event-packed week in Delhi which had a theatre festival and a tribute to the legendary poet, Amir Khusro, at the same time.

On the sidelines of these events, were three photo exhibitions 'I' Celebrate 'Me' on the transgender community of Tamilnadu, I Am – Women of India : from Vedic times to the Present, and a selection of posters of the women’s movement from the Zubaan collection also drew appreciation.

The three days wrapped up with a wonderful open air Closing Night Dinner on March 8 which was co-hosted by the Asian Academy of Film and Television, Noida. This was a relaxed evening with seminar panelists, journalists, visiting filmmakers and their guests, the local IAWRT members and film making community chatting away under the stars despite an unexpectedly chilly night.

There's more good news. Sohaila Kapur of Lok Sabha TV conducted interviews with Fatma Zohra Zamoum and Anoma Rajakaruna for her programme In Transit which features visiting artists. Fatma's interview was aired on Sunday, March 21 and Anoma's on Sunday, March 28. Jai Chandiram was also interviewed for State of Culture on the same channel.

Time Out Delhi did a feature on the festival with an interview of Jai and synopses of some must-see films. First City, Dear Cinema, The Hindu, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Outlook also made mentions of the festival.

Some follow-ups are of considerable interest. NDTV is negotiating with the respective producers for the telecast of Fereshteh Joghataei's How Green was our Valley and Rock Heart Beijing by Karen Winther.

Magic Lantern Foundation has also expressed interest in distributing some films from the festival - Z'har, Our Story: Women Who Love Women, Virgin, How Green was our Valley. The contracts are being finalised.

Sophy Sivaraman, an independent distributor based in Mumbai, is interested in Rock Heart Beijing, Afghan Girls can Kick, Escape and Resilience.

It is great to know that some of the festival films might be aired/ distributed so that they can reach a larger Indian audience. The festival package has already travelled to Hyderabad in March and we have received enquiries from Pune, Mumbai and Trivandrum as well.

As ever, none of this would have been possible without the constant support and encouragement of our friends and well wishers in and outside Delhi. A very special thanks is due to our visiting filmmakers who came from Kutch, France and Sri Lanka... to Nilita Vachani who re-scheduled a family vacation... to Aruna Vasudev, Sandeep Marwah, Dr.Visalakshi Menon, Dr.Taisha Abraham, Akhila Sivadas, Shailaja Bajpai, Purnima Rao, Akshata Udiaver, Naveen Gautam, Yousuf Saeed, Ranjana Mohan, Nirmal Chander and the IAWRT volunteers who handled various challenges of designing, planning and logistics... to our audiences whose enthusiasm and excitement kept us going, to our families for whose support we are truly blessed... to the India International Centre and Teteii, in particular, for her humour, patience and painstaking attention to detail... to the Film & Television Institute of India, the National Institute of Design, Whistling Woods, Public Service Broadcasting Trust and the Magic Lantern Foundation... we are indeed fortunate to have the good wishes of such a diverse and amazing group of people... we thank you all for helping us celebrate International Women's Day with the true spirit of BREAKING BOUNDARIES, SHARED SPACES.

6th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival 2010

2010-02-15T18:40:00.018+05:30

6th IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL, 2010

Presented by the IAWRT India Chapter
with the support of the India International Centre

WHEN: 6th, 7th and 8th March 2010
WHERE: India International Centre, Lodi Estate, New Delhi
ENTRY: Free. Registration at the venue.

FOR THE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE, CLICK HERE

The theme for this year's festival is BREAKING BOUNDARIES: SHARED SPACES. The festival will showcase the works of Asian women film makers in a range of genres – fiction, non-fiction, animation, and television features.

The term ''Asian'' refers to origin – the film maker can be working in any part of the world.

This edition features films from Australia, Algeria, Bangladesh, France, India, Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Norway, Pakistan, South Korea and Sri Lanka.

Other specials:

Focus on a Filmmaker : Nilita Vachani from New York

A package of student films from India

Two seminars:

Women & The Public Space

Caught in a Madding Mass Media

The 6th Asian Women's Film Festival is expected to be a festive occasion, heightened by the fact that it will be spring after a long and cold winter. As always, the festival will provide an intimate atmosphere for dialogue on gender concerns and changing approaches to documentaries.

6th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival 2010: SCHEDULE

2010-02-13T19:22:00.048+05:30

6th IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL 2010
BREAKING BOUNDARIES, SHARED SPACES

6th, 7th, 8th March 2010
India International Centre
Lodi Estate, New Delhi

ALL ARE WELCOME. NO PASSES NEEDED.
Entry by Registration at the venue
===================================

6th MARCH 2010, SATURDAY

SEMINAR: WOMEN AND PUBLIC SPACE
Conference Room 1, IIC Main Building

10:00 am
Welcome Address - Jai Chandiram, President, IAWRT India, & Festival Director, 6th Asian Women's Film Festival 2010

10:15 am
What does public space signify for women? Do they have access to it? How do options of citizenship and justice define this space? When women enter the public space, what are the challenges they face? How do they tackle patriarchy and caste oppression in the Indian context? Can women expand or redefine the public space? The aim of the seminar is to show women’s relation to the public space in various settings and contexts through women’s everyday life experiences.

Moderators: Visalakshi Menon and Taisha Abraham

Taisha Abraham - SATHIN BHANWARI REVISITED

Taisha Abraham is an Associate Professor in the Department of English, Jesus & Mary College

Krishna Menon - CASTE AND GENDER

Krishna Menon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, Lady Shri Ram College

Anita Ghai - WOMEN AND DISABILITY

Anita Ghai is a Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

Karen Gabriel - ICONOGRAPHY OF BHARAT MATA
Karen Gabriel is an Associate Professor in the Department of English, St Stephens College

11:30 am TEA BREAK

11:45 am

Visalakshi Menon - TWO PIONEERING WOMEN IN THE 20TH CENTURY (DURGABAI DESHMUKH & KAMALADEVI CHATTOPADHYAYA)
Visalakshi Menon is an Associate Professor in the Department of History, Jesus & Mary College

Ashish Koul – JAHANARA SHAHNAWAZ AND THE MUSLIM LEAGUE
Ashish Koul is a PhD Scholar at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Sheeba Aslam - ISLAMIC FEMINISM
Sheeba Aslam is a journalist and PhD Scholar in Politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University

Smita Gupta - DEVE : A PROFILE IN COURAGE
Smita Gupta is Political Editor, Outlook

1:30 pm LUNCH BREAK

3:00 pm
SEMINAR: CAUGHT IN A MADDING MASS MEDIA
Conference Room 1, IIC Main Building

The thrust will be to create a three-way interaction between media makers, especially those producing highly watched soaps and reality shows, viewers of these programmes and experts in the area of psychology, media research, development communication and film making.

CHANGING REPRESENTATION: ARE WE CONFRONTING "REAL" ISSUES?
This session will look at the so-called changing dynamics of serials and reality shows and examine whether the change is real and meaningful. To share their professional insight and understanding, we are inviting a panel of TV channel programmers, media makers (especially those involved in producing and creating popular serials and reality shows) to present their perspectives.
The panelists will give their take on how they perceive the so-called changing dynamics of serials and reality and share their insight and understanding on whether these changes are true and meaningful for the audiences that they are seeking to reach out in scale and impact.

4:00 pm TEA BREAK

4:15 pm

VIEWERS SPEAKE : WHAT WE THINK ABOUT TV?
Responding to them a panel of media viewers, representing diverse realities will share their perspective and focus on their personal experiences and insight about the specific effects that television fiction and reality shows has had on them. Some of the viewers concerns that we will explore through a panel of experts (drawn from diverse professional fields such as film makers, psychologists, individuals anchoring popular shows, academia) are "selling dreams", “impacting self-esteem" and "raising aspirations".

Tribute to Minal Hazarika.

6:00 pm END OF SESSION

===================================

7th MARCH 2010, SUNDAY

09:30 am

REGISTRATION

10:00 am

INAUGURATION by MRINAL PANDE, Chairperson, Prasar Bharati

THE STITCHES SPEAK (Tanko Bole Chhe)
12 mins/ 2009 / India /Nina Sabnani

Celebrates the art and passion of the Kutch artisans associated with Kala Raksha.
Followed by a discussion with the producer, Judy Frater.

11:00 am TEA BREAK

11:15 am

SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON
52 mins/ 2008 / Japan, Singapore, S.Korea /Faiza Ahmad Khan
Passion for cinema spurs a group in Malegaon to make a low budget socially relevant spoof on Hollywood.

12:30 pm

ESCAPE
25 mins/ 2008 / Malaysia / Charlotte Lim
The relationship between a grandfather who raises chickens and a little boy with constipation. A village comes to life in 25 minutes!

1:00 pm LUNCH BREAK

2:00 pm

IN TRANSIT
12 mins / 2008 / India /Arunima Sharma
A student film from the Film & Television Institute of India. Using an inventive juxtaposition of sounds and images of contemporary urban India, the film explores the idea of man within the context of evolution.

2:15 pm

ROCK HEART BEIJING
56 mins/ 2009 / Norway / Karen Winther
Kang Mao, an extraordinarily brave woman, is a prominent lead singer of the Chinese punk rock band SUBS. A rare glimpse into a society where rock music is silenced by censorship.

3:15 pm TEA BREAK

3:30 pm

FOCUS ON A FILMMAKER: NILITA VACHANI
120 mins/ USA / Nilita Vachani
Lecture with extracts from her films.

Nilita Vachani has produced, directed and edited three award-winning documentaries Eyes of Stone (1990), Diamonds in a Vegetable Market (1992) and When Mother Comes Home for Christmas (1996).
Apart from editing several documentaries, she has worked as Assistant Director on Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay and Script Supervisor on Mississippi Masala. Her debut novel HomeSpun (2008) won the Foreword’s Choice Fiction.

She is part-time faculty at Tisch School for the Arts, Undergraduate Film and Television, New York University.

5:45 pm TEA BREAK

6:00 pm

VIRGIN
45 mins/ 2009 / Iran / Taahereh Hassanzadeh

Before marriage, a woman in Iran is required to produce a certificate of virginity. The film reveals a painful side of Iran trapped under deeply rooted conventions.

7.00 pm

RESILIENCE
75 mins/ 2009 / S. Korea / Tammy Chu
A story about loss and separation - a birth mother and her son reunite after 30 years.

8:30 pm CLOSE

==================================

8th MARCH 2010, MONDAY

9:30 am

OUR STORY: WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN
45 mins/ Sri Lanka / Anoma Rajakaruna
Lesbians in Sri Lanka define their choices.

10:15 am

THE LAST RITES
20 mins/ 2009 / Bangladesh / Yasmine Kabir

The film depicts the ship breaking yards of Chittagong - a final destination for ships that are too old to ply the oceans any longer.

10:40 am

JAILING THE INNOCENT
18 mins/ 2008 / Australia / Yaara Bou Melhem
Every year up to 20 Jordanian women are murdered in honour killings. In response, the country's 12 governors have been given the power to lock up the innocent victims under the guise of keeping them safe rather than go after the would-be perpetrators.

11:00 am TEA BREAK

11:15 am

HOW GREEN WAS OUR VALLEY
32 mins/ 2009 / Iran / Fereshteh Joghataei
A dam has been built and the water is rising. 63 villages will be flooded and the residents must be uprooted. People wait for a miracle at a holy shrine.
Followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.

12:10 pm

AFGHAN GIRLS CAN KICK
50 mins/ 2007 / UK / Bahareh Hosseini
Teenage girls break the stereotypes set by an intensely conservative Afghan society, escaping grinding poverty, gaining self esteem and confidence as players in the first ever women's national football team.

1:00 pm LUNCH BREAK

2:00 pm

Package of Student Films from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

TRAN EKA TRAN
19 mins/ 2008 / Aastha Gohil
Three people - a teacher, a nurse, a young girl - live in the same locality. Each pursues her dreams and ambitions that intersect and crisscross each other.

APARAJITA - EK AUR NUMAISH
6 mins/ animation/ 2006 / Kanupriya Vijay Vargiya
A bride-to-be puts her foot down about dowry demands.

THE RED WINDOW
5 mins/ 2006 / Rituparna Sarkar
A time-and-memory tale of an old man who kept waiting for the girl of his dreams.

FOR THE MOMENT
6 mins/ 2007 / Subhangi Subramanian & Priyanka Kaushal
A young girl’s nightmare about losing the things most precious to her.

SATTALA BARI (The seven storey house)
5 mins/ 2008 / Debjani
A Bengali nonsense rhyme with quirky visualization.

THE FUTILE SEED
5 mins/ 2009 / Piyali Barua
A man plants a tree and despairs of ever seeing it grow. But one day there's a surprise!

BHAJ DAUD
5 mins/ 2009 / Amaranta Nehru
New gifts throw a family's life out of gear.

PECH (Tangle)
5 mins/ 2009 / Mrinalini Kannan
During the month of Utarayan in Ahmedabad, many birds die when kites with glass coated threads are flown all over the city.

3:00 pm

A SMALL DREAM
17 mins/ 2008/ Pakistan / Gulnar Tabassum
Humaira is steadily transforming the education of girls into a valued asset.
Followed by a discussion with the producer.

3:30 pm

I WONDER
70 mins/ 2009 / India / Anupama Srinivasan
What does school mean to children? What kind of learning takes place within the school and outside it? The film explores the impact of the school system on the lives and dreams of children.
Followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.

5:00 pm TEA BREAK

5:15 pm

Z'HAR
78 mins/ 2009 / France
Fatma-Zohra Zamoum
Two stories set 10 years apart. In 1997, Alia travels between Tunisia to Algeria to meet her sick father. In 2007, Fatma Zohra and her brother set out to find locations for her new feature.
Followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.

6:45 pm

HAD ANHAD
103 mins/ 2008/ India / Shabnam Virmani
The film journeys through Kabir songs and poems into the politics of religion in India and Pakistan.

8:30 pm CLOSE

The International Association of Women in Radio & Television, India Chapter, would like to thank India International Centre, Aruna Vasudev, Sandeep Marwah, Taisha Abraham, Visalakshi Menon, Akhila Sivadas, Akshata Udiaver, Yousuf Saeed, Film & Television Institute of India, Jatin Das Centre for the Arts, Magic Lantern Foundation, National Institute of Design, Public Service Broadcasting Trust, Whistling Woods

All the filmmakers, seminar panelists and volunteers who have supported this festival with their participation.

5th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival 2009. Delhi. ABOUT

2009-02-18T12:40:00.001+05:30

5TH IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL

Presented by the IAWRT India Chapter
with the support of the India International Centre

WHEN: 7th and 8th March 2009
WHERE: India International Centre, Lodi Estate, New Delhi
ENTRY: Free, by registration available at venue.

The 5th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival is back again, to mark the International Women’s Day. Each year, the festival showcases a wide array of films – documentaries, short fiction, and animation – made by women filmmakers of Asian origin.

This year the festival presents over 20 films made by women filmmakers from across India, South Asia, and the Unites States of America. It has broadly been curated around the theme, Dialogues in Diversity.

Some of the films this year are
· Dam/Age: a film with Arundhati Roy: directed by Aradhana Seth, the film traces Roy’s bold and controversial campaign against the Narmada Dam project
· View from A Grain of Sand: Meena Nanji’s comprehensive account of the recent history of Afganistan, the impact on the women’s live, and the resistance they offer
· Mukand and Riaz: Nina Sabnani’s poignant animation film on the Partition and her personal family history
· There was a Queen: Kavita Pai and Hansa Thapliyal’s explorations through the lives of Kashmiri women as to what peace means and how it can come about in Kashmir

The festival is not restricted to new releases; it seeks out and presents well known films made in earlier years that are still of interest to viewers. This edition of the festival includes the noted 1998 release,
· Skin Deep by Reena Mohan, on women’s complex relationships with physical beauty;
· and Jill Mesquita-Mistry’s The Clap Trap, a moving look at the lives of the junior artistes of Bollywood, that was produced for Channel 4 UK .

The festival is an important space for high quality student works. This year, it shows Priyanka Chabbra’s award winning experimental short, The Furnished Room, that is shot across 3 screens.

Each year, the festival also travels to other cities across India. Last year, the festival packages were screened in Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

IAWRT India is the India chapter of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television. The festival is organised through the voluntary effort of the members of IAWRT India; and the generous support of IIC. The filmmaking community, PSBT and Magic Lantern Foundation, also offer support by proving the films for the screenings.

For more information: iawrtindia.blogspot.com

SCHEDULE: SEE BELOW

5th ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL 2009. Delhi: SCHEDULE

2009-02-18T12:25:00.005+05:30

5th ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL 2009

presented by the
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN IN RADIO AND TELEVISION

in partnership with the
INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

7th MARCH 2009 SAT

09:00 AM: REGISTRATION

10:00 AM: INAUGURATION

foll by Mukand and Riaz
Nina Sabnani
9 m /2005/India
An animation film about two friends separated by the partition of India and Pakistan
nina.sabnani(AT)gmail.com

TEA BREAK

11:00 AM: Dam/Age
Aradhana Seth
50m / 2002/ India/UK
Traces writer Arundhati Roy's bold and controversial campaign against the Narmada dam

foll by View from a Grain of Sand
Meena Nanji
82 m/ 2006/ USA
Three Afghan women try to rebuild their lives in Afghanistan's "new era
underconstruction(AT)magiclanternfoundation.org

LUNCH BREAK

02:00 PM: Say No to Plastic
Priyanka Chhabra
1 m/ 2008/ India
An animation against the use of plastic bags
chhabra.p(AT)gmail.com

foll by The Furnished Room
Priyanka Chhabra
9 m/ 2008/ India
An experimental film on the continuous passage of time, based on a story by O'Henry of the same name
chhabra.p(AT)gmail.com
foll. by a discussion with the director

foll by The Clap Trap
Jill Misquitta
52 m/ 1993/ India
A tender look at the lives of the junior artistes or the so-called "extras" of Bollywood

foll by Notes on Man Capture
Nandini Bedi
43 m/ 2008/ India
About Ratmi’s marriage, the Garo tradition of ‘man capture’ and the players behind the event
magiclantern.foundation(AT)gmail.com

TEA BREAK

4:00 PM: The Shillong Chamber Choir and the little home school
Urmi Juvekar
27 m/ 2008/ India
A concert pianist turns his home into a school where children live together and learn to play music
urmi_juvekar(AT)yahoo.co.in

foll by Our Family
Anjali Monteiro & K P Jayasankar
56 m/ 2007/ India
What does it mean to cross the line which sharply divides us on the basis of gender? A look at a family of three trans-gendered women
cmcs.tiss(AT)gmail.com

BREAK: 5:30 - 6:30 PM:

06:30 PM: Rhythms
Megha Subramanian
7 m/ 2007/ USA
About finding love through bodily rhythms
Megha.subramanian(AT)gmail.com

foll by Cosmopolis: Two Tales of a City
Paromita Vohra
14 m/ 2004/ India
The mythology of a cosmopolitan Bombay told through stories of land and food

foll by Women Behind the Camera
Alexis Krasilovsky
90 m/ 2007/ USA
A global documentary about camerawomen who survive the odds in Hollywood, Bollywood and beyond
alexiskras(AT)aol.com

CLOSE FOR THE DAY

8th MARCH 2009, SUN

09:00 AM: REGISTRATION CONTD.

09:30 AM: In Quest of Life
Shabnam Ferdousi
34 m/ 2005/ Bangladesh
Masuma Pia is a photographer who struggles on her own in quest of beauty and nature
shabnamji(AT)yahoo.com

foll by Iraq: The Lost Generation
E Robbins & Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
43 m/ 2008 / UK/Syria/Jordan
On the catastrophic refugee crisis in the Middle East
socfilms(AT)gmail.com

TEA BREAK

11:00 AM: Understanding Trafficking
Ananya C Chakraborti
89 m/ 2009 / India
A rights based approach towards trafficking and safe migration
cinemawoman2004(AT)yahoo.co.in
foll. by a discussion with the director

foll by Rehana: A Quest for Freedom
Gargi Sen & Priyanka Mukherjee
29 m/ 2007/ India
Rehana Adib is a woman from a minority community, a mother of six, a crusader for social change…
underconstruction(AT)magiclanternfoundation.org
foll. by a discussion with the directors

LUNCH BREAK

02:00 PM: This Is Me...Is This Me?
Siri Devi Khandavilli
2 m/ 2009 / India/USA
An experimental work on the filmmaker's relationship with her body
siri(AT)siridevi.com

foll by Skin Deep
Reena Mohan
82 m/ 1998 / India
Exploring body image and self-identity among contemporary middle class women in urban India
reenamo(AT)gmail.com
foll. by a discussion with the director

TEA BREAK

04:00 PM: Naach (The Dance)
Saba Dewan
84 m/ 2008 / India
At the Sonpur cattle fair in rural Bihar, more than fifty girls take to the stage every evening and dance for an all-male audience
sabadewan(AT)gmail.com
foll. by a discussion with the director

BREAK 5:30 - 6:30 PM:
06:30 PM: Defiant Art (1 segment)
Sharni Jayawardana
10 m/ 2003 / Sri lanka
An enquiry into the nature and purpose of art today, especially in a time of crisis and conflict in Sri Lanka
chrys(AT)yatv.net

foll by There was a Queen (Yi As Akh Padshah Bai)
Kavita Pai & Hansa Thapliyal
105 m/ 2007 / India
Through the lives of Kashmiri women - proud and strong - the film explores what peace means and it can come about
santhosh(AT)othermediacommunications.com

CLOSE

[Schedule subject to change. Kindly reconfirm at venue]

WE THANK PSBT, JDCA, MAGIC LANTERN FOUNDATION
AND ALL THE FILMMAKERS WHO HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING THIS
FESTIVAL WITH THEIR FILMS AND PARTICIPATION

The International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) is a non-profit organization of women working in electronic and allied media. IAWRT seeks to ensure that women’s views become an integral part of programme making. It offers professional skill-training to women; provides grants and fellowships; and presents awards of excellence. It helps members share inputs by organising workshops and festivals round the world.

CONTACT US: iawrtindia AT gmail.com
WEB: www.iawrt.org

FOR MORE ON THE FESTIVAL
iawrtindia.blogspot.com

4th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival 2008

2008-02-26T15:29:00.004+05:30

4th IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL 2008
“INSIGHTS AND ASPIRATIONS”

presented by India International Centre – Asia Project, UNESCO and the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT)

on 7th + 8th March 2008
at the India International Centre, Lodi Estate, New Delhi

7TH MARCH 2008, FRI

09:30 AM: REGISTRATION
10:00 AM: INAUGURATION, foll. by

EVERYDAY
[7m / 2007 / India]
by Anupama Srinivasan / onusrinivasan[AT]hotmail.com
A reflection on relationships. A story of a pigeon.

MANPASAND – THE PERFECT MATCH
[11m / 2006 / India]
by Dhwani Desai / dhvanidesai[AT]yahoo.com
An animation film about the journey of a father in search of a suitable groom for his daughter.

11:00 AM TEA BREAK

11:30 AM
MORALITY TV & THE LOVING JEHAD
[29m / 2007 / India]
by Paromita Vohra / info[AT]psbt.org
The film looks outside the frames that weave the frenetic tapestry of Breaking News on India’s news channels to uncover a town’s complex dynamics – the fear of love, the constant scrutiny and control of women’s mobility and sexuality, a history of communal violence, caste brutalization and feudal mindsets.

12:00 NOON
KNOWING FOR SURE, WITHOUT KNOWING FOR CERTAIN: HOW I MAKE FILMS [30min]
An illustrated presentation by Paromita Vohra / parodevi[AT]mtnl.net.in

12:30 PM
OCCAM’S RAZOR – ISHRAT JEHAN’S VERY EASY DEATH
by [24m/ 2005/ India]
Priti Chandriani / Chandriani[AT]pace-productions.com
Raises questions about the manner in which encounter killings are carried out in this country.

1:00 PM: LUNCH BREAK

2:00 PM:
LAKSHMI AND ME
[59m / 2008 / India]
by Nishtha Jain / raintreefilms[AT]gmail.com
The filmmaker explores her changing relationship with Lakshmi, her part-time maid.
foll. by

TAAZA KHABAR
[31m/ 2006/ India]
by Bishakha Dutta / magiclantern.foundation[AT]gmail.com
An all-woman team of journalists publish “Khabar Lahariya” from a small town in Uttar Pradesh, covering all the news that the mainstream media forgot.
foll. by

LEAP FROG
[4m / 2007 / India]
by Nandita Das / leapfrog.india[AT]lycos.com
3 spots on education and water harvesting.

3:30 PM TEA BREAK

4:00 PM
EK AJEEB SI JHUNJLAHAT
[3 m / 2007 / India]
by Ein Lall / einlall2004[AT]yahoo.co.uk
The covered face, the pestle, the mortar; the excessive force with which the pestle swings down; the remorseless regularity of stone pounding on stone; all contribute to a strange tremor of unease….
foll. by

GODDESSES
[42m / 2007 / India]
by Leena Manimekalai / cjerrold[AT]gmail.com
Notes from the lives of three extraordinary women – a funeral singer, a fisherwoman & a graveyard worker.

4:45 PM
M S AMMA: A SHY GIRL FROM MADURAI
[22m / 2007/ India]
Swati Thiyagrajan / NDTV
A journey into the life and times of the legendary M S Subalakshmi through the eyes of her granddaughter.
foll. by

LOSING TO WIN
[22 / 2007 / India]
Uma Sudhir / NDTV
On Gujarati Muslim families sending their children away from their “watan” to complete their studies.

5:30 PM BREAK

6:30 PM
MIGRATION
[18 m / 2007 / India]
by Mira Nair / shenny.italia[AT]gmail.com
The film deals with the AIDS virus as a great class leveller in society by following its transmission through interweaving stories linking urban and rural India.
foll. by

THE CHEESE & THE WORMS
[98 m / 2005 / Japan]
by Kato Haruyo / info[AT]chee-uji.com
The director affectionately captures her sick mother's final days with her grandmother and brother's family.

8:30 PM CLOSE

------------------------------------------------------

8TH MARCH 2008, SAT

9:30 AM
SHADOWS OF FREEDOM
[36 m / 2004 / India]
by Sabina Kidwai / sabinakidwai8[AT]gmail.com
Traces the history of three women in a Muslim family and how the issues of identity and gender conflict with their lives and that of their family.
foll. by

OUTSOURCED
[49 m / 2006 / Aus.]
by Safina Uberoi, Anna Cater / anna[AT]mitrafilms.com.au
A portrait of four women working inside an Indian call centre and their battle with workers in countries like Australia for jobs on globalisation's new frontier.

11:05 AM: TEA BREAK

11:30 AM
DESIRE AND REPETITION: THE MINIATURIZATION OF THE NEW HINDI SONG MUSIC [25 min]
A presentation by Shikha Jhinghan / shikha.jhingan[AT]gmail.com
Tracing the development of female singers in popular Hindi film music.

11:55 AM
REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PRESENT
[80 m/ 2007/ India]
by Chandra Siddan / zeidler[AT]sympatico.ca; abulafi[AT]hotmail.com
A woman enquires into her first marriage forced on her when she was a child.

1:15 PM LUNCH BREAK

2:00 PM
THE BIRTH OF BRAIN FLY
[6 m / 2007 / USA]
by Nandita Kumar / mermaidontherock[AT]gmail.com
An animation charting the surreal course of a psyche's evolution within the invisible landscape of the mind.
foll. by

SCRIBBLES ON AKKA
[60 m / 2006 / India]
Madhushree Dutta / majlis.culture[AT]gmail.com
On the 12th century Bhakti poet, Mahadevi Akka. A film on identity, rebellion and bhakti.

3:10 PM TEA BREAK

3:30 PM
ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES [30 min]
A presentation by Iffat Fatima / iffatiffat[AT]hotmail.com
Documenting the movement and struggle of Kashmiri women for redressal, justice and human rights from the local to the global platform.

4:00 PM
THE SKY BELOW
[75 m / 2007 / Pak./ India]
Sarah Singh / seetheskybelow[AT]gmail.com
A contemporary portrait of India and Pakistan vis-à-vis the lingering fallout of the Partition, from Kutch to Kashmir and Karachi to the Khyber Pass.

5:15 PM BREAK

6:30 PM
AYODHYA GATHA
[62 m / 2007 / India]
by Vani Subramanian / vanishes[AT]gmail.com
What does it mean to belong to a city that has become a symbol of religious intolerance, majoritarian aggression and communal tumult in India – Ayodhya?
foll. by

WORD WITHIN THE WORD
[74 m / 2007 / India]
Rajula Shah / rajulashah[AT]rediffmail.com
The film witnesses how Kabir, the 14th century mystic poet resonates ordinary lives in 21st century India.

8:45 PM CLOSE

------------------------------------------------------

Schedule subject to change. Kindly reconfirm at venue.
Films will be followed by a discussion with the director, if present.

IAWRT THANKS PSBT AND ALL THE FILMMAKERS WHO HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING THIS FESTIVAL WITH THEIR FILMS AND PARTICIPATION.

ABOUT IAWRT: The International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) is a non–profit organization of women working in electronic and allied media. IAWRT seeks to ensure that women’s views and values become an integral part of programme making. It offers professional skill-training to women. It provides grants and fellowships, and presents awards of excellence. It helps members share inputs by organising workshops and festivals round the world.

CONTACT US: iawrtindia [AT] gmail.com
IAWRT WEBSITE: http://www.iawrt.org/

MORE ABOUT IAWRT INDIA and the FILM FESTIVAL: iawrtindia.blogspot.com

3rd IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL 2007

2007-03-01T21:44:00.001+05:30

3rd IAWRT ASIAN WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL 2007
Reflections: Women Imaging Realities

presented by the
International Association of Women in Radio and Television
in partnership with the India International Centre
ON 7TH + 8TH MARCH 2007 AT THE INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, NEW DELHI

7TH WED FILM / EVENT DUR./YR./COUNTRY DIRECTOR CONTACT

10:00 AM INAUGURATION

Madsong [19 min 2006 India]
Natasha Mendonca [natasha.mendonca(at)gmail.com]
In a nameless timeless place in India, an ordinary woman living an ordinary life wants to plan an extraordinary party in celebration of her lover's return. What happens when he comes home?

Call It Slut [14 min 2006 India]
Nishtha Jain raintreefilms(at)gmail.com
A mini-portrait of a transgender person who is more than a woman.

Dedicated to Unicorn [4 min 2006 Taiwan ROC]
Soo You: antianimal2225(at)yahoo.com.tw
Time turns into a blended state as a simulation of dreams. A woman's unconscious reminisce.

11:30 AM
Moustaches Unlimited: 29 min 2006 India
Vasudha Joshi: tarana(at)cal2.vsnl.net.in
Exploring masculinities and femininities through moustaches.

Q2P : 53 min 2006 India
Paromita Vohra parodevi(at)mtnl.net.in
About toilets, gender and the city. Raising questions about male and female; about class, caste, urban development and the twisted myth of the global city.

2:30 PM
Tales from the Margins [23 min 2006 India]
Kavita Joshi kj.impulse(at)gmail.com
About the fast-to-death of Irom Sharmila, the naked demonstration by Manipuri women
and the epic protests by the women of Manipur in their fight against the AFSPA.

4:00 PM
Story Maker: Story Taker [38 min 1995 India]
Anjali Monteiro and K P Jayashankar umctiss(at)vsnl.com
About the stories and paintings of the Warli tribes.

Acting Like a Thief [15 min 2005 USA]
Shashwati Talukdar and P Kerim Friedman mail(at)shashwati.com
Through theater, members of a stigmatized tribal community have found the means to express themselves and to transform their world.

Between the Lines [18 min 2006 India]
Vaidehi Chitre vaidehi.chitre(at)gmail.com
About the filmmaker's search for Dr. Anandi Joshi, India's first woman doctor.

6:30 PM

National Pudding and Indigenious Salad [11 min 2004 India]
Pushpamala N npushpmala(at)gmail.com
A playful look at the modern Indian family as it imagined itself soon after Independence.

Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi [63 min 2006 India]
Saba Dewan sabadewan(at)gmail.com
Ria, a bar dancer, travels from her home in Delhi to Mumbai where hundreds of working class girls come in search of work and a future.
8:15 CLOSE

8TH THU FILM / EVENT DUR./YR./COUNTRY DIRECTOR CONTACT

10:00 AM
When Women Call the Shots [30 min 2001 India]
Charu Gargi info(at)psbt.org
Through the work of three women technicians, the film examines the representation of women in Bollywood films made by women.

Sharira [30 min India]
Ein Lall einlall2004(at)yahoo.co.uk
On the acclaimed choreographer-dancer Chandralekha and her unwavering faith in her mission to set free the body through dance.

11:30 AM
The Mall on Top of My House [6 min 2006 India]
Aditi Chitre kumartalkies(at)yahoo.com
On rampant land reclamation and the consequent displacement of the fishing community.

Bare [11 min 2006 India]
Santana Issar santanaissar(at)gmail.com
A daughter's search to find meaning, if any, in her relationship with her alcoholic father.

Their Story [10 min 2005 India]
Reema Borah reemabassam(at)yahoo.co.in
A poignant tale about the daily struggles, hope and crisis in the midst of a land and people torn by armed conflict.

6 Yards to Democracy [55 min 2007 India]
Nishtha Jain and Smriti Nevatia raintreefilms(at)gmail.com
On the lives of poor women in Lucknow in the context of cynical electoral politics.

2:30 PM PRESENTATION by Giti Thadani:
Erasure of the Feminine and New Renewals
gitithadani(at)gmail.com

4:00 PM

Crossing Fires - Blurring the Divide [22 min 2006 Sri Lanka]
Sharmini Boyle sharmini(at)yatv.net
Two communities of women in the LTTE controlled Kilinochi district push the frontiers in a patriarchal society.

Live Containers [26 min 2002 Kazakhstan]
Orzu Sharipov magiclf(at)vsnl.com
Women ex-prisoners are forced into smuggling heroin in their bodies as a way to get out of poverty and stigma.

Assimilation – No, Integration – Yes [24 min 2006 Canada]
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy lisa.lanthier(at)hotmail.com
In a housing community in a Swedish town, young second generation Muslim immigrants are adjusting to life in a new country.

6:30 PM
7 Islands and a Metro [100 min 2006 India]
Madhushree Dutta majlis(at)vsnl.com
To the seven goddesses who reign over Bom Bahia / Bombay / Mumbai.

SCREENINGS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A DISCUSSION WITH THE DIRECTOR, IF PRESENT.
[Schedule subject to change. Kindly reconfirm at venue.]

2nd IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival 2006

2006-03-01T21:39:00.003+05:30

IAWRT 2nd Asian Women's Film Festival 2006
Women, Media and Spciety: Transformations

7th, TUE EVENT / SCREENING DUR. YR. PERSONS / DIRECTOR

9:30AM Inauguration 30m

My Life as a Poster: 8m;
Shashwati Talukdar (India/USA)
A fake autobiography designed to stimulate debate, it tells a fictional story about the filmmaker and her family; explores stereotypical notions about Indian culture, the marginalizing aspects of identity politics and the "First World's" expectations from a "Third World" filmmaker.

10:30 TEA BREAK

11:00AM

A Certain Liberation: 37m;
Yasmine Kabir (Bangladesh)
A portrait of Gurudasi Mondol, who lost her mind as she watched her family being killed, during the Liberation War of Bangladesh.

Kagad Kaanch Patra: 16m;
Reema Borah
She is a rag picker. She wants to build a house of her own. But …. A moving portrait of an ordinary Indian dealing with the odds.

Printed Rainbow: 15m;
Gitanjali Rao
A story of the dreariness of urban life and the escape into an imagined world of curiosity and colour. (animation)

My Confession – the Picture Diary: 10m
Lor Yew Mien (Malaysia)
It became my picture diary, talking about the politics of space and desires in this context of gender.

The Quest: 5m
Soo You (Taiwan R.O.C)
The Chinese word, “Me” without many strokes had always confused me………..

1:45 LUNCH BREAK

2:30PM

Women of the Holy Kingdom: 48m
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy (Canada)
The women's movement inside Saudi Arabia challenges traditions clamouring for rights in study, work & travel denounced by clerics & working mothers.

A Decent Samosa, Ya! : 25m
Natasha Badhwar & Radhika Bordia
When you leave your land forever, what is it that you take with you?

4:10 BREAK

4:30PM

Altar
Leena Manimekalai
Explores the impact of traditions of Naiker community on women.

The Journey: 16m
Rita Chandel
Trying to see and understand myself and my life through the camera.

Will Think for Food: 4m
Parvinder Kaur
A wannabe film director… A top notch talent campus… A theme… A deadline… and no concept!

5:40 BREAK

6:30PM

Beyond the Wheel: 59m
Rajula Shah
Three women potters living in 21st century India engage with each other as artists, across the divides of tradition, taboo and modernity.

On an Express Highway: 28m
Reena Mohan
The film traces the journey of a successful 33 year old woman who gave up the material world for the austere life of a Jain sadhvi.

Our Own Eyes: 28m
Ranu Sharma
The film focuses on two individuals grappling with issues of personal expression, identity and their relationship with the spaces they inhabit.

8:30PM CLOSE

8th WED EVENT / SCREENING DUR. YR. PERSONS / DIRECTOR

10:00AM

Sharira: Chandralekha’s Exploration in Dance: 28m
Ein Lall
Dancer-choreographer Chandralekha’s mission is to set free the body, allowing movement to flow… The film examines three of her major works.

She Write: 55m
Anjali Monteiro & K P Jayasankar
On four Tamil women poets – Salma, Kuttirevathi, Malathy Maitri and Sukirtharani – whose work resists the dominant male-centred discourse and patriarchy.

11:30 BREAK

12:00

The House on Gulmohar Avenue: 30m
Samina Mishra
Traces the personal journey of the filmmaker through the ideas of identity and belonging, in the context of being Muslim is India today.

Trans-* : 12m
Tejal Shah
This video constructs the trans- formation, site, mutation, figuration from one gender to its opposite. A reflection about our need to explore opposite gender behaviour.

Where’s Sandra: 17m
Paromita Vohra
A playful look at the figure of "Sandra", which is part covetous fantasy of the racy Christian girl from Bombay as a secretary, wears a dress and likes to dance and part condescending stereotype of a dowdy, religious girl from a minority community.

1:45 LUNCH BREAK

2:30PM

For Love or Izzat: 58m
Sonali Dutta (India / UK) ????
The film investigates forced marriages and honour killing amongst Britain's Asian community.

Untitled: 3 Narratives: 18m
Kavita Joshi
Manipur: 12 women protest in Imphal; a mother laments her dead son; for 5 years, a woman has been on a fast-unto-death. Why? Narratives of paon and resistance from conflict-torn corner of India…

4:10 BREAK

4:30PM

For Maya: 38m
Vasudha Joshi
Made to commemorate 50 years of Indian Independence, the film delves into the lives of four generations of women in the director’s family, and explores the spaces they create for themselves.

Biji: a Documentary on My Grandmother: 20m
Dipti M Panesar
A portrayal of the relationship between a grandmother (Biji), her husband (Papaji) and their granddaughter – Gudiya (the cameraperson) – through the knitting of a sweater.

Lemon Yellow Afternoons… : 13m
Monisha R Baldawa
Amma is a Tamilian housewife; Chinu is a Maharashtrian girl; and they are neighbours in a chawl. The story is an exploration of their relationship.

5:45 BREAK

Walking on a Moonbeam: 17m
Madhureeta Anand
It is a retrospect of a young girl who was sexually abused and how it changed her worldview as a child – the film alternates between the present and past.

Lanka: The Other Side of War and Peace : 75m
Iffat Fatima
The film explores the impact of Sri Lanka's brutal history of overlapping conflicts. witnessed most poignantly by those who have suffered through this violence giving expressions to the larger narrative of war and peace.

Talks on both days by:
Abhilasha Kumari
Iffat Fatima
Jitender Gill
Kavita Joshi
Madhureeta Anand
Samina Mishra

1st IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival 2005

2005-03-01T21:30:00.003+05:30

IAWRT 1st Asian Women's Film Festival 2005
Expressions in Freedom

‘Expressions in Freedom’ is a festival celebrating documentary films by Asian women.

Launching on the International Women's Day, 8th March, the festival seeks to open up a space for debate on creative processes enriched by women's quest for freedoms of expression. The films in the festival cover a range of themes related to questions of gender and their interface with issues of sexuality, violence and conflict, family, identity, human rights and cultural transformation. Powerful tales are told in as little as 3 minutes or spun across 2 hours. Genres vary and expressive styles swing wildly from film to film. The canvas has been broadened to include some animation films.

The films are followed by interactive sessions between the viewers and the director (if present). Further, the festival features talks by academics engaged in gender studies and the media. There are special presentations by activists working in community media for empowering women; by young girls who have made a film for the first time in their lives; and by directors visiting from other countries.

FILM SYNOPSIS

A FEW THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER
A film by Anjali Panjabi
[30 min / 2002 / India]
Mirabai, a sixteenth century poetess is a cultural icon in India. Her images and stories swamp our popular culture. She was a princess who rebelled. Her poems versed in a religious idiom speak of personal choices and questioned the social hierarchies of her time. The conflicts expressed in her poetry however, do not tally with popular notions that choose to see her only as a pious saint. The film explores some of these contradictions. It travels through the towns and villages and vast deserts of Rajasthan in search of Mira. On the journey, it discovers the many ways in which Mirabai still sings to us.

BORN TO SING
A film by Shikha Jhingan
[44 min / 2002 / India]
Born to Sing is a musical journey with four Mirasans, who sing life-cycle songs for their patrons in Punjab. The film explores a rich musical and oral tradition kept alive by these women across religious boundaries. What is the nature of their relationship with their land-owning patrons? What happens when Punjabi pop music takes the entertainment industry by storm? The films grapples with these concerns faced by women who find themselves shunted out of their expressive traditions. At another level, the film also evokes memories of partition and the resilience of the composite culture of the Malwa region of Punjab.

DAUGHTERS OF EVEREST
A film by Ramyata Limbu & Sapana Sakya
[56min / 2004 / Nepal, USA]
In 2000, the first ever expedition of Nepalese women to climb the Everest was organised. Although the Sherpa people of Nepal are legendary for their unmatched skills in mountaineering, Sherpa women are discouraged from climbing, relegated instead to the support roles in the climbing industry. Told from a women’s perspective, rarely seen on Everest or off it, this film gives a close-up account of the expedition and its impact on the lives of the women – not just the climbers but the women of Nepal.

GIRL SONG
A film by Vasudha Joshi
[29 min / -- / India]
This film enters the life of Anjum Katyal, blues singer, poet and mother, capturing her voice as she performs the blues in her home city of Kolkata, as she reads from her journal to her daughter, as she converses with her mother and her daughter about the multi-religious, multi-cultural heritage that she so proudly owns to, and as she talks of confronting the climate of hostility and distrust towards minorities spreading through the country. In her interactions with her mother and her daughter, we see how a cultural identity proudly woven from many strands is increasingly under threat from narrow and exclusionist definitions of identity.

GUHYA
A film by Kirtana Kumar
[55 min / 2000 / India]
Today in India, we live in an aggressively patriarchal time. Modernity is equated with homogeneity and the complex nature of female sexuality is offered up at the altar of Nationhood. But thanks to the co-existence of diverse sexual and socio religious practices, there still exist residual memories of a past where the Goddess is worshipped, and communities where the female principle is considered life-affirming. This film asserts that our attempts to eradicate such practices in the name of development are born of our essentially patriarchal mores.

HINA
A film by Beena Sarwar
[8 min / 2004 / Pakistan]
Hina is the first girl in her family to attend college and contemplate a career rather than marriage. But this apparent freedom has come at a terrible cost: it was the death of Hina’s father (the family’s sole breadwinner) that forced her mother to take charge of her own life and family in a society which frowns upon women stepping outside the home even for education. The conflicts that 17 year-old Hina faces as her horizons expand lend poignancy to her aspirations. She is determined to not only to become self reliant but also to care for her ailing mother once her 4 older sisters marry and leave.

I LOVE MY INDIA
Directed by Tejal Shah
[10 min / 2003 / India]
After the Godhra incident in February 2002, India witnessed the killing of over 3000 Muslims in Gujarat. A year after the genocide, this film takes place at a popular public recreation space – a balloon-target shooting stall. Dark and bitterly funny, it uses the opinion poll format to satirise our generalised understanding of social and political injustices; and critiques the practice of electoral democracy in India by employing the metaphor of random target practice.

IN THE FLESH
A film by Bishakha Datta
[53 min / 2002 / India]
An intimate account of what it is like to be in prostitution, this film revolves around 3 people: Shabana, a street-smart woman working the dark highways outside Bombay; Uma, an aging theatre actress who lives in a brothel in Calcutta where she earlier worked; and Bhaskar, a trans-gendered person who sells sex to men. We see their lives unfold – their workplaces, their stories, their daughters, mothers, lovers, passions... We see them as they pick up customers, fight AIDS in their communities, battle violence through collective action. We see them as they are – human beings struggling for a space in society.

INDIA CABARET
A film by Mira Nair
[60 min / -- / India]
By focusing on a group of female strippers who work in a nightclub in the suburbs of Bombay, ‘India Cabaret’ explores the “respectable” and “corrupt” stereotypes that typify women in contemporary Indian society. The film tells their story, relating their hopes and fears while respecting their pride and resilience. In the process, it reveals the rules and double standards of a deeply patriarchal society.

LADIES SPECIAL
A film by Nidhi Tuli
[29 mins / -- / India]
‘Ladies Special’ travels on a Mumbai train reserved wholly for women. For a brief while, the camera, crew and viewers become part of the spontaneous community of women that this train has engendered. With women boarding the same bogey daily, lives are shared, vegetables are chopped, birth ceremonies are celebrated, and clothes bought, as the 50 km journey becomes a space suspended unto itself. Many women speak of the commute as a cherished time when they can be themselves, instead of wives and mothers and workers and housewives. Ladies Special is a celebration of their lives.

LINE OF CONTROL
a film by Surekha
[3 min / 2003 / India]
An ant moves within a boundary. It is a mere pen mark. And yet the ant hesitates to cross the line of control and come out of the boundary. Will it, finally? Or wont it? This spontaneous work examines how one behaves when confronted with imaginary boundaries.

MANJUBEN TRUCK DRIVER
A film by Sherna Dastur
[52 min / 2002 / India]
Manjuben has broken the gender stereotypes that are part of the social landscape she inhabits. She has created an identity for herself against social, cultural and economic odds, commanding respect from the community. This identity is deliberately 'male' – that of a macho trucker, drawn from several popular notions of maleness. Yet Manjuben defies simple categorization. Though she lives a free life compared to the other women in her society, she is just as patriarchal as the next person. In other words, Manjuben is no crusader.

MY MOTHER INDIA
A film by Safina Uberoi
[52 min / 2002 / Australia]
This film tells the story of a mixed marriage set against the tumultuous backdrop of modern Indian history. It focuses on the filmmaker’s own quirky family: an Indian Sikh father who collects kitsch calendars; an Australian mother who hangs her knickers out to dry in front of the horrified neighbours in Delhi; a grandfather who was a self-styled Guru’ and a seething grandmother who grows to despise him. What begins as a quirky and humorous documentary about an eccentric, multicultural upbringing unfolds into a complex commentary on the social, political and religious events of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 that changed the destinies of the family.

OF LOVE & LAND
A film by Samina Mishra
[24 min / 2001 / India]
Randhir Singh and Darshan Kaur’s grandchildren grow up together in a prosperous home in a village near Amritsar. The children – 3 girls, 3 boys – go to the same school, eat together and often even play together. Yet there are borders that demarcate their lives. Set against the backdrop of an alarming and continuously declining sex ratio in the region, ‘Of Love and Land’ examines the boundaries that limit the lives of little girls.

ORANGE
a film by Geetanjali Rao
[4 mins / 2003 / India]
‘Orange’ is a conversation between two women about love and relationships, over a drink on a rain drenched evening. A visual delight, the film uses animation in vivid shades of orange to express moods and feelings.

RAJESHWARI (from THE RECONCILIATION SERIES)
[25 min / 2003 / Sri Lanka]
directed by Sharmini Boyle with Siyangka Nawaz
This documentary is part of a television series that explore situations of conflict and their impact on the lives of the Sri Lankan people. The series, as the name suggests, promotes reconciliation and peace. ‘Rajeshwari’ is a personal story of the experiences of a woman who was directly affected by the conflict in Sri Lanka.

The film will be accompanied by an informal presentation that will include screenings of short reports (5 – 10 mins each) from other episodes of the series. These include:
- Women Waging Peace (mothers and war)
- Defiant Art (women and language)

SOMETHING LIKE A WAR
A film by Deepa Dhanraj
[53 min/ -- / India]
Launched in 1952, India’s family planning programme was formulated in collaboration with Western population control experts. It is based on the assumption that irresponsible, anti-national breeding by the poor is the main cause of the nation’s backwardness and that population control is the magic key to success. Despite brutal coercion, the programme has failed in its objective of drastically reducing the birth rate. The film traces the history of the programme, exposing the cynicism, corruption and brutality that characterise its implementation. It questions the programme from the perspective of women, who are its primary victims.

TEN WOMEN & A CAMERA
Made by the women of the Deccan Development Society Community Media Trust
[9 mins / 2003 / India]
The Deccan Development Society’s Community Media Trust has been training rural women to use video to articulate their concerns. Making a film thus becomes a process of learning to speak up, to be heard, be counted. Made by the women themselves, this film looks at some women of the Trust who have been making films for over six years and the way they think this process of filmmaking has impacted on them and their lives.

The screening will be part of a presentation by the women of DDS who are also the makers of this film. Idpapally Mollamma and Edakupalli Sooremma will present a case for autonomous community media. The programme will include clips from their other works, including:
- Sangam Shot
- BT Cotton, and other excerpts

THE BROKEN SPINE
A film by Ein Lall
[30 min / 2001 / India]
Nalini Malani is one of India’s leading painters and installation artist. Her work is political and gendered, even as it is subtle and layered. This film portrays the conflicting yet complementary tones in her work. We see life in the Lohar Chawl where Malani has her studio; we see the people that power her work; we see what moves her. The film travels from work to work, from painting to installation to beachside where Malani draws on the shifting sands. Formally, the film creates juxtapositions that draw the viewer into the inner world of the artist.

THREE WOMEN AND A CAMERA
A film by Sabeena Gadihoke
[56 min / 1998 / India]
Homai Vyarawalla is India's first professional woman photographer, whose career spanned three decades from the 1930s; Sheba Chhachhi and Dayanita Singh are contemporary photographers who started work in the 1980s. Vyarawalla's work underscores the euphoria of the birth of a nation, while Chhachhi and Singh grapple with the complexities and undelivered promises of the post independence era. This film debates the major shifts in their concerns regarding representation and subject-camera relationships. It seeks to contextualise their work through their photographs and explores how their identity as women shapes this work in turn.

UNLIMITED GIRLS
A film by Paromita Vohra
[94 min / 2002 / India]
Reflective in tone and playful in its form, ‘UnLimited Girls’ asks questions about feminism in our lives: why must women lead double lives, being feminist but not saying they are? How do we make sense of love and anger, doubt and confusion, the personal and the political in this enterprise of pushing the boundaries, of being un-limited? The tale is told through the conversations of a narrator called Fearless who encounters diverse characters – feminists, yuppies, college kids, a woman cab driver, a priest, academics – all talking of their engagements with feminism.

UNTIL WHEN…
A film by Dahna Abourahme
[76 min / 2004 / Palestine, USA]
Set during the current Intifada, this documentary follows four Palestinian families living in Dheisheh Refugee Camp near Bethlehem. Fadi, just 13, cares for his 4 younger brothers; the Hammash family believe in living life with humour and passion; Sana, a single woman endures long commutes to do community work; and Emad and Hanan are a young couple trying to shield their daughter from the harsh realities of the occupation. Through their joys and sorrows, ‘Until When…’ paints an intimate portrait of Palestinian lives today.

WHEN MOTHER COMES HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
A film by Nilita Vachani
[109 min / 1995 / India, Greece, Germany]
Josephine Perera is a migrant worker from Sri Lanka who has spent the last ten years taking care of the families of others. She currently works in Greece, lavishing care on 2 year-old Isadora whose own mother works in Paris. Josephine’s children meanwhile have been left to relatives and orphanages – she hasn’t seen them in ten years. Finally she has a work visa and can travel back to them for Christmas. Through her story, we witness the restructuring of an entire society where women have become the breadwinners in a foreign land. Ironically it is their gender functions that lead them to ‘economic freedom’, though never in the context of their own families and culture.

WHO WILL MEND MY FUTURE
Plan India + a team of 12 year olds – Hemlata and Savita
10 min / -- / India
During adolescence, young girls are denied the information they need to understand the changes in their bodies. When she is experiencing acute confusion, the teenage girl is fed a steady diet of mumbo jumbo. Instead of information, all she gets is stony silence from her teachers. Instead of counsel, all she gets from her mother is yet more restrictions on her scarce freedoms. This film shows how such attitudes wreak havoc in the lives of teenage girls, especially those living in conservative communities. An animation film, it has been directed by 12 year old girls as part of a workshop.

The film will be accompanied by an informal presentation where the young filmmakers and representatives from PLAN India will share their experiences on making and screening this film.

YEH GULISTAN HAMARA
A film by Fareeda Mehta
[30 min / 2003 / India]
The film looks at communities that live ‘behind walls’, and the possible cultural, political and economic reasons for doing so. Within ‘mixed societies’ people may be united by economic necessity but prejudices often run deeper than the words uttered in interviews. The film works with images from a small town magic show and from ‘video’ to build a narrative of longing and a socially constructed amnesia that feeds on jingoistic patriotism.

EACH FILM WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A BRIEF ‘Q & A’ SESSION WITH THE DIRECTOR, IF PRESENT.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS / TALKS:

Uma Chakravarti:
Shohini Ghosh: Documentaries of Self and Sexuality
Patricia Uberoi: The Family in Media: Shaping our views