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WOMEN, MEDIA & SOCIETY TRANSFORMATIONS
April 1-3, 2006, Nandan II (Kolkata)
The first three days of April, when the weather
was gearing up for a scorching hot summer,
cinephiles of Kolkata trickled into the cool
darkness of Nandan II, to witness and share the
views and perspectives of 26 women filmmakers of
Asia – to see the world as women see it.
The package of films curateD by IAWRT in
collaboration with IIC Asia project, had already
had successful runs in Delhi and Ahmedabad,
before traveling to Kolkata.
The Kolkata festival was organized by the local
IAWRT members in collaboration with Nandan,
(West Bengal Film Centre) – the hub of
intellectual activities in Kolkata. Several
other organizations, big and small, joined our
hands in support. Among them were three
educational institutions – Pailan School of
International Studies, Nexgen Academy and Wigan
& Leigh College.
The festival was kicked off by Dr. Jashodhara
Bagchi, Chairperson, West Bengal Commission for
Women. In her keynote address she emphasized
that women are increasingly opting for the
medium of video to express themselves and there
is a dire need for creating a space for these
alternative voices and alternate perspectives.
Shri Nilanjan Chattopadhyay, CEO, Nandan,
assured the congregation at the inaugural
function that Nandan would always be there in
support of the alternative if there is a clarity
in the vision and honesty in the purpose.
The inaugural film of the festival, For Maya,
presented the changing perspective of three
women from three generations, belonging to the
same family. The film was greatly appreciated
for its evocative visuals and Ranjan Palit, the
cinematographer engaged in a scintillating
discussion with the young and the old, after the
screening.
Protagonists of the other films ranged from rag
pickers to political aspirants, from lonely
women spending lazy afternoons day dreaming or
making pickles, to women inventing ways to
resist political insurgency. The viewers ranged
from students to filmmakers to feminists to
skeptics.
The Kolkata was put together by a small group of
committed individuals, in a record time of less
than one month. It was multi pronged. Besides
the screenings, there was a poster exhibition
put up by SWAYAM, an NGO that works for and
believes in women against violence, a skill
development workshop for media students, a small
photo exhibition put up by a media student and a
sales counter for documentary films made by
Kolkata based film makers. The poster exhibition
not only added colour to the event, but it also
put the festival in an appropriate perspective.
The workshop attracted enthusiastic students
from several institutes, who benefited from the
twin advantage of the screenings and tutoring
from eminent professionals.
All the four components have been successful in
their own rights and have been indicators for
elaboration and expansion to a bigger scale of
activity. - Subha Das Mollick (Member, IAWRT)
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See
this story by Telegraph India or
this story at India Together
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