Women's Film Festival, Chennai

Women's Film Festival 

11 March 2018, Periyar Thidal, Chennai

Jointly organised by MARUPAKKAM and Periyar Self Respect Media

Schedule

11 March

10 am Inauguration

10:30 Our Gauri (opening film)

Dir: Deepu; 67 min; English (subtitles); 2017; Documentary

Gauri Lankesh was one of the Karnataka’s most prominent and fearless journalists. She was shot dead outside her house in Bengaluru on the night of 5th September, 2017. 

Gauri spoke out against communal forces in the country and represented dissent and freedom of speech.

The film is more than a personal tribute and follows her political journey, envisaging what she stood for and her struggle for communal harmony until her last breath. 

And her life story has become the history of Karnataka’s fight against right-wing communal forces.

11:40 Interaction

12 pm Framing Democracy 32’ - Documentaries

Encountering Injustice: The Case of Meena Khalko

Dir: Maheen Mirza; 14 min; Chattishgarhi, Hindi with English subtitles

The film looks into an alleged encounter of a 15 year old adivasi girl, Meena Khalkho who lived in Village Karcha of Balrampur district of North Chhattisharh. She was killed by the police who alleged that she was a naxalite. 

Moving between the electronic news coverage of the incident and testimonies of her parents and other people from her village, the film investigates the claims of the police. Sexual violence, the attempt to suppress the truth of meena’s murder and the impunity of the culprits gradually comes to light. 

We also get a glimpse into how difficult and long the struggle for justice is in the conflict zones of the country. This film is part of a series of films called Loktantra Hazir Ho produced by the Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS).

Meanwhile the killings continue: The Encounter at Rewali

Dir: Maheen Mirza; 18 min; Godhi, Hindu with English subtitles

In a combing operation in the Dantewara region of Chattisgarh an adivasi was encountered and killed by security forces. He and his wife had gone to a stream to bathe and collect material to make a baadi and were catching crabs when the security forces opened fire. 

Budhri, the woman hid behind a tree but Bhima Nuppo was shot and killed. The people from rewali village of which Budhri and Bhima were residents called the local leaders and media to investigate this incident and bring out the unprecedented violence that adivasis living in the area have to face regularly. 

A rally of about 7000 people set out to seek justice for Budhri and her 5 children. They were stopped and not allowed to go to the Collector office. Negotiations ensued between the people and the administration. The film documents the entire process.

12:35 Interaction

1pm Lunch break

2 pm Nuclear Hallucinations

Dir: N.Fatima; 54 min; Tamil with English subtitles; Documentary (?)

  

Nuclear hallucinations is a film, which claims to be a documentary, and it is centred the anti-nuclear struggle against the kudankulam atomic power project in south India.

2:55 Interaction

3:15 Nicobar, a long way

Dir: Richa Hushing; 65 min; Nicobarese, Hindi and English; Documentary

Deep in the Bay of Bengal, the Nicobar archipelago, a tribal reserve protected under Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, was worst hit by the Tsunami of 26th December 2004. 

Self-subsistent and relatively isolated, post Tsunami the aboriginal world was suddenly invaded.

4:20 Interaction

4:40 Tea break

5:00  Caravan - The Journey of Islam in India

Dir: Shazia Khan; 60 min; 2008; Documentary

5:55 Interaction

6:15 I am Bonnie

Dir: Farha Katun,Satarupa Santra, Saurabh Kanti Dutta; 45 min; Documentary

Bonnie (33) is again on the run. He has been on the run from his family and sports fraternity since failing 'sex test' before the Bangkok Asian Games, 1998.

A born intersex, raised by poor, illiterate and confused parents as a girl named 'Bandana', s/he became one of the finest strikers of Indian Woman's football team in her/his short career.

A Sex Reassignment surgery later transformed her/him to a man but left him without home or career. He left home, took up idol-making for a living. 

He met Swati (F24) then; they fell in love and married soon but had to move once again fearing social backlash.

His fight to establish his identity, struggle for existence is met by a sarcastic society which is yet to learn to take 'other genders' seriously.

7 pm Interaction 

7:20 Closing remarks and Feed back