South Asian Feminist Film Festival (Online)
Celebrating South Asian Women’s Day
27-30 November 2020
Organised by Sangat and
Kriti Film Club
Curator’s Note
Across geographies and physical boundaries,
friendships and solidarities abound. Feminist ideologies that frame human
values in life and work, not just woman, but also man; not only binary, but
also non-binary. Feminist thinking and action framed by cross-cutting issues
and intersectionalities.
The South
Asian Feminist Film Festival, in its first and online edition, aims to
bridge and bring these common, yet diverse identities, issues and ideologies
alive. It includes a selection of shorts, animation, documentaries and features
made by filmmakers from South Asia and Diaspora.
Filmmakers of different gender identities form the
community of this festival; with films that portray characters and stories that
can be seen from a feminist lens. Feminism, defined as a way of life, a
perspective by which we think, behave and act, a politics based on principles
of equity, equality, justice and peace; and not just an ‘ism’ that is equated
only with the female!
The common and comparative narratives that flow
through the films ask us to recognise the broken bridges and the ones that need
to be built, to challenge mindsets and practices that harm human bodies and
spirit and become a medium of dialogue and actions for social change and human
security.
The films weave stories around themes of identity,
labour, childhood, family, violence, conflict, ecology, culture, resistance and
borders and take us on a journey that is nostalgic yet celebratory; difficult
yet humorous; friendly yet conflicting...e(merging) from within and across the
themes. Some old, some new and some very recent films have been included in the
festival, to give us a flavour of what it means to be South Asian.
● Redefining Identities – ‘Bebaak’, ‘Please Mind The
Gap’ and ‘If You Dare Desire’ from India; ‘Ticket Please’ and ‘Frangipani’ from Sri Lanka, these four
films challenge us to relook at our personal and political identities from a
gender and intersectionalities lens.
● Labouring Lives – ‘Eeb Allay Ooo’ from India; ‘When Mother Comes Home For
Christmas’ from Sri Lanka; ‘Bare Trees in the Mist’ and
‘Saving Dolma’ from Nepal; ‘Tazreen’ from Bangladesh, all draw our attention to working class and migrant stories of survival on
the peripheries of survival.
● Framing Childhood – ‘Ashmina’, ‘Nooreh’ and ‘Chanda
ke Joote’ from India; ‘Dying Dreams’ and ‘Hope’ from Sri Lanka, these films are
a lens into young lives disrupted by conflict within and outside homes; but
also the energy and resilience of childhood.
● Families and Memories –‘ If you Fall’ and ‘Sita's Family’
from India, one an engendered animation and the other a family ‘herstory’;
along with ‘Second Face’ from Afghanistan; and ‘Ontojatra’ from Bangladesh are
glimpses into familial relationships, nostalgia and belonging.
● Resistance and Solidarity – ‘Listen to Her’, ‘Awakening
the Goddess’, ‘Daughter of Nepal’, ‘Have you seen the Arana?’, ‘Karma’ and ‘Ask
a Sexpert’ from India; and ‘The Mermaid of Churna Island’ from Pakistan, echo
voices against violence and gender stereotyping, while showcasing powerful
examples of individual and community action in South Asia.
● Beyond Borders: ‘Mukand and Riaz’ and ‘Dreaming
Taj Mahal’ from India; ‘Invisible
Line’ from Pakistan and ‘Lyari Notes’ from Pakistan and India, these three
films demystify physical boundaries and celebrate South Asian heritage,
friendships and Diaspora beyond borders.
At a time when we are
virtually connected within and outside our homes and workplaces, this film
festival will be accessible to all with internet access. While the films will
be scheduled as in a festival, they will also be made available for a few days
after the festival, thus ensuring audience accessibility as per convenience.
I thank Sangat, especially Kamla Bhasin for inviting
me to curate this festival to mark the South Asian Women’s Day on 30th November
as well as Meenal Manolika and Ditilekha Sharma for all their support.
To all the filmmakers who have shared their films
open-heartedly for the festival, huge thanks.
This festival would not have been possible without
the support and efforts of my co-curator, Reena Mohan. To Anandana Kapur, thank
you for the friendship and the connects made. Gratitude to the time given by
Anomaa Rajakaruna, Jabeen Merchant, Arati Pinto and Purnima Singh, who went out
of their way to make important connections for this festival. I would also like
to acknowledge the film recommendations sent by Khushi Kabeer (Bangladesh) and
Zainab Ibrahim (Sri Lanka) from the Sangat network, some of which have been
included in the festival. Finally, to all the speakers and moderators of the
panels being organised as part of the festival, your participation is
invaluable. As for every event, the role and work of Kriti team volunteers
(Shruti, Saransh, Jagriti, Rajan, Tarini, Chandni, Lata) and support of family
(Nidhi, Meghana and more) and domestic workers must be acknowledged.
I hope that all our viewers and audience will enjoy
the lineup of films we have put together and excuse us for any unintended
technical or programmatic errors. There are many other films waiting to be
watched and shared, and hopefully those at another time sooner than later.
Please do share your comments and feedback on the films you watch on space.kriti@gmail.com and on the
festival event page https://fb.me/e/3Un2BSlTa
Aanchal Kapur
Curator, South Asian Feminist
Film Festival
Founder, Kriti Film Club/
Kriti team
https://krititeam.blogspot.com
@krititeam @kritifilmclub
November 2020, Bombay/ Mumbai, India
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