India

Festival of Emerging Cinemas: Connecting Indias

iawrt-editor — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:39:35 +1000

In August 2011, the International Association of Women in Radio and Television organized a new and unique film festival called the Festival of Emerging Cinemas at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The festival was a celebration of the diversity in creative expression of the cinemas that are emerging in the towns and villages of India. We wanted to showcase films that are made by people living in the communities they are speaking to and about. We were looking for films that have something to say, speak in a local idiom, and are rooted in the region.

The Festival of Emerging Cinemas was an experiment and turned out to be an amazing process of discovery for both the curators and the audience as it opened up a new way of looking at films. The viewing of the whole range of films raised many pertinent questions about popular culture, target audiences, activist filmmaking, market pressures etc even as it offered people in Delhi an opportunity to connect with and understand people from different parts of the country through the medium of cinema

Acknowledgements

All the participating filmmakers, India Habitat Centre, Dr. Aruna Vasudev, Dr. Raj Liberhan, Renu Oberoi, Programmes team and technical staff of IHC, Himanshu Joshi, Maulee Senapati, Paban Haobam, Meghnath, Prof. Vir Bharat Talwar, Sanjay Joshi, Tashi Dawa, Shabani Hassanwala, Uday Bhatia, Subhash Rawat, Reena Mohan, T.N. Uma Devi

Curated by Jai Chandiram and Anupama Srinivasan August 2011

India

2011 Mid-Term Report of India Chapter

iawrt-editor — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:00:54 +1000

For the last seven years the IAWRT Chapter India has organised the Asian Women’s Film Festival at the India International Center, New Delhi in March to celebrate the International Women’s Day. Subsequently, the festival travels to various cities and colleges in India. This year selections from the festival were screened at the Pondicherry University and will be screened at the 4th International Short and Documentary Festival Trivandrum in August. The festival is also scheduled to travel to Bangalore, Kolkata and Hyderabad .

Combing seminars and workshops the festival has established a presence in the universities and film clubs .The seed funding from IAWRT has made an impact and made the work of IAWRT visible in the region. The documentary is a ‘wavering register’ reflective of social injustices and attempts to bring about change. In order to rescue from oblivion, women who have been agents of change or articulate critics of their societies and culture, hard decisions about the reconstruction, selection and inclusion of events or the analysis of motive and cause is needed’.

International Women's Day connects and inspires both women and men to reaffirm their commitment to the global women's movement. It is, therefore, fitting that in our corner of the world, we host the IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival every year around this time.

The theme of this year’s Festival was Ways of Seeing: Rhetoric and Reality. The theme aimed to articulate through multiple lenses the lives, events and concerns of our multi-layered society and reflect how women (as filmmakers and/or as protagonists go beyond manifestation, question and express through new forms and content. “Ways of Seeing” aimed to create a language of understanding of ideas flux and explore hierarchies and contradictions in our realities and rhetoric.

The IAWRT 7th Asian Women’s Festival “Ways of Seeing: Rhetoric and Reality” attracted 130 entries from Asian women filmmakers from 14 countries. 42 films were screened and 34 filmmakers were present to share their experiences and interact with the audience. It was impressive that the festival screened 30 South Asian premieres and 6 World premieres. Entries also came from national and international media institutions NID, FTII and AFTS. We had three packages that combined an interesting mix of engaging animation, short fiction, experimental and documentary films from Afghanistan, Canada and Thailand.
Often running to full houses, this year's event welcomed audiences to proving the wealth of talent and potential that Asian women bring to film as well as serving to educate audiences about the diversity in documentaries and short films.

Two exhibitions courtesy Zubaan. The first was Seven Sisters
and the City by Uzma Mohsin. The second was called Painting Our World – Poster Women II showcasing traditional women artists in their art (embroidery, scrolls, tribal paintings)depicting socially relevant issues (HIV/AIDs, child marriage,etc) This material provides a different and alternative narrative, not necessarily of the women’s movement, but of the kinds of things women are thinking about, and of the reach and power of feminist messages.

The festival seminar Frames: Histories, Identities, Struggles
had a unique format. Combining films and academic presentations, it generated engaged and informed discussions between the seminar panellists, film makers, academics, activists, students and IAWRT members.
In Delhi we had filmmakers from Mongolia, Thailand , Afghanistan ,Australia , Pakistan ,UK , USA Canada and India to share their views. As always, the festival provided an intimate atmosphere for interaction enriched with dialogues on gender concerns and changing approaches to documentaries.
Our festival partners were- the India International Centre, the Goethe Institut Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and Sangat South Asia, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and RAL/ Nippo.
Films were accessed through the Thai Film Foundation, South Asian Visual Arts Centre, Toronto and Birds Eye View Festival, London .

The Collection of films is now with the IIC Audio Visual Library.

Work has begun on the 8th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival 2012 “Mediation, Movements and Memories”. (See Reports Festival in New Delhi and Pondicherry)

•    Selections from the 5 minute IAWRT film project were screened at all festivals and seminars .
“Understanding Trafficking” received the National Best Film on Social Issues this year and is screened in various festivals . The has received several awards at home and abroad.
•    “Where Have You Hidden My New Moon Crescent” made in course of the project by Iffat Fatima has been widely screened and has contributed to the advocacy of the issue of disappearances in several cities and venues in India and abroad.
•    For comments see    : iawrtindia.blogspt.com

• Membership is now 65 and paid membership is 45.

• Concerned over the growing social and cultural gaps IAWRT Chapter India has initiated a five day festival “ Emerging Cinemas”,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 places like Ranchi, Imphal, Leh, Niyamgiri and Malegaon, 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 will be screened by the host the Habitat Centre on (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.
Unfortunately, we had no entries this year from women filmmakers .

• In addition IAWRT is exploring another festival on ‘Struggle Conflict and Peace” to showcase the work of women filmmakers .

Iffat Fatima’s prestigious project Enforced Disappearances in Kashmir initiated in 2006 received its additional grant in April 2011 . The project was initiated in 2006 in collaboration with the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) from Kashmir . Iffat has worked closely with the project and setting up the office and streamlining the work of the APDP. This year APDP is a recipient of the prestigious UN grant UNVFVT. Amnesty International in recognition of their work has sought a proposal from APDP and has committed their support for the human rights work that APDP is doing. In January 2011, APDP in collaboration with the Working Group on Human Rights co-organized the official visit of Margaret Sekaggya, UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders to Kashmir. Her Srinagar consultation received wide coverage in the media. The media reports also highlighted that Parveena Ahanger and APDP had assisted in arranging for her interaction with civil society actors including lawyers, journalists, and academics. APDP is often threatened and this year wrote a letter to the UNSR for Human Rights Defenders seeking protection to enable APDP and Parveena to continue their campaign for justice.

The other positive development has been the nomination of Parveena Ahangar for the frontline human rights defenders award 2011. Parveena is amongst the ten special people who have been awarded and will be traveling to Dublin in September to receive the award and also participate in high-level media briefings. It will go a long way in highlighting the cause of Enforced Disappearances in Kashmir.
The APDP web site www.disappearancesinkashmir.com.and facebook page campaigning against Disappearances is fully active.

The two projects were reviewed by the IAWRT Team comprising , Gerd Inger Polden , Elizabeth Miller , Kirsten Brathen and Jai Chandiram

India

2010 India Chapter

iawrt-editor — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:28:06 +1100

India

Projects and Activities

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:37:11 +1100

The India Chapter has been very active and worked on several projects. The "Enforced Disappearances" project has created impact at the national and global levels as it seeks to bring the issue of human justice alive in the media through its monthly meetings. Short and long films are being made for discussion purposes and for wider distribution.

The "Safe Migration and Trafficking" film is being screened in many countries. The 6th Asian Women's Film Festival, "Breaking Barriers: Shared Spaces" is has widened the scope to entries from Asian women directors, student films, animation, works in progress and retrospectives by women directors along with workshops. The film festival has grown and is now traveling to many cities. The last five festivals have included a publication for both distribution and for educational purposes. The IAWRT collection of films is now housed in the India International Center for viewing and research purposes. Likewise, preparations for the 7th Asian Women’s Festival in March 2011 are underway.

India

Chapter Members

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:55:18 +1100

Membership List (As of June 2011)

Agarwal, Sumegha
Ahluwalia, Kishwar
Anand Negi, Madhurita
Bakshi, Rita
Bansal, Kiron Dr.
Bhattacharya Roy, Rinki
Chandiram, Jai
Chatterjee Chakraborti, Ananya
Chaturvedi, Subi
Chintamani, Kadhambari
Chitre, Vaidehi
Das Mollik, Subha
Davanam, Shamanta D S
Eshwar, Sucharita
Ghosh, Ranu(off)
Hussaini, Naazish
Iffat Fatima
Ilmi, Shazia
Joshi, Kavita
Joshi, Vasudha
Kapoor, Archana
Khamkar, Gloria
Khanna, Radhika
Kohli, Aaradhana
Kohli, Simran
Kohli, Susham
Valerie, Lev
Mani, Shamanthaka
Mishra, Samina
Mitra, Ratnabari
Mathur, Vineetha
Mohan, Reena
Mukerjee, Chanditaq
Mukherjee, Rina
Narayan, Radha
Narsamma, Chinna Ms.
Narula, Monica
Nigam, Sangitika
Peldon, Tenzin
Priyam, Jain,
Radhika Kaul Batra
Raghupathy, Leena Manimekalai
Indu Ramesh
Roy, Puneeta
Sabnani, Neena
Sahai, Geeta
Sarabhai Mallika
Sen, Munira
Sen, Gargi
Sharma, Renuka
Padmaja Shaw
Shikha, Jhingan
Singh, Archana P
Singh, Seihjo
Skarner, Geetha
Subramanian, Vani
Veena lal, Liani
Vats, Smita
Vohra, Neerja
Vohra, Paromita

India

Radhika

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:31:42 +1100

India

Kavita CU

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:30:48 +1100

India

CU

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:29:19 +1100

India

Kavita @ IMNSF Geneva

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:27:57 +1100

India

Jai

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:26:32 +1100

India

Filmmaking Workshop

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:19:04 +1100

India

Untitled

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:17:55 +1100

India

Tales from the Margins

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:16:53 +1100

India

Some roots grow upward

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:13:27 +1100

India

My Body, My Weapon

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:12:06 +1100

India

6th Asian Women's Festival Poster

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:10:45 +1100

India

Editing Workshop

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:09:00 +1100

India

Filmmaking Training

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:07:55 +1100

India

7th Asian Women's Film Festival 2011

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:48:36 +1100

WAYS OF SEEING: RHETORIC AND REALITY

The India Chapter of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) will hold its 7th Asian Women’s Film Festival in New Delhi on March 7-8, 2011 showcasing works of women film makers of Asian origin in a range of genres – fiction, non-fiction, animation, and television features – representing a diversity in country, content and form.

The theme of the 7th Asian Women’s Film Festival is WAYS OF SEEING: RHETORIC AND REALITY. The theme expects to articulate through multiple lenses the lives, events and concerns of our multi-layered society and reflect how women (as filmmakers and/or as protagonists) go beyond manifestation, question and express through new forms and content. “Ways of Seeing” aims to create a language of understanding of ideas flux and explore hierarchies and contradictions in our realities and rhetoric.

The IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival is held annually around the International Women's Day celebration and is proving to be an increasingly popular event in the city's calendar. It provides an intimate atmosphere for interaction enriched with dialogues on gender concerns and changing approaches to documentaries. Past editions have travelled to various Indian cities – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Madurai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

The IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festivals held in the past six years were as follows:

2005 - Expressions In Freedom

2006 - Women, Media and Society: Transformations

2007 - Reflections: Women Imaging Realities

2008 - Insights & Aspirations

2009 - Dialogues In Diversity

2010 - Breaking Boundaries: Shared Spaces

Call For Entries

The IAWRT-INDIA is now accepting entries from selection of films reflecting how women (as film makers and/or as protagonists) negotiate, resist or document political, social, cultural, environmental, educational or economic issues retrospectives to videos by women working at the grass roots to a selection of student films from cinema schools all over the world. Though not mandatory, films made in the last two years are preferred so that the selection reflects contemporary concerns and fresh energies. Deadline is the 20th of December 2010 to be submitted to:

Jai Chandiram
C/O Sanchar Bharati
U37 Green Park Main New Delhi 110016. India

For further inquiries, please contact:

Jai Chandiram
Festival Director
jaichandiram@yahoo.co.in
Mobile: 09811277004

Reena Mohan
Co-Director
iawrtindiafestival@gmail.com

India

Trustees:

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:23:37 +1100

Kavita Joshi, Kiron Bansal
Radhika Khanna
Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborti
Chandita Mukherjee

India

Renuka Sharma

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:21:09 +1100

Secretary-Treasurer

India

Jai Chandiram

iawrt-editor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:09:15 +1100

Managing Trustee

India

India Chapter 2007

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:39:08 +1000

Year report

India

India Resources

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:38:16 +1000

India

Projects and Activities

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:35:49 +1000

The India Chapter has been very and has been working on several projects. The Enforced Disappearances project has created impact at the national and at global levels as it seeks to bring the issue of human justice alive in the media through its monthly meetings. Short and long films are being made for discussion purposes and for wider distribution.

The "Safe Migration and Trafficking" film is being screened in many countries. The 6th Asian Women's Film Festival, "Breaking Barriers: Shared Spaces" is has widened the scope to entries from Asian women directors, student films, animation, works in progress and retrospectives by women directors along with workshops. The film festival has grown and is now traveling to many cities. The last five festivals have included a publication for both distribution and for educational purposes. The IAWRT collection of films is now housed in the India International Center for viewing and research purposes. Likewise, preparations for the 7th Asian Women’s Festival in March 2011 are underway.

India

asian summit

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:33:10 +1000

India

6th ASIAN WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL 2010

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:28:14 +1000

The IAWRT-INDIA, in partnership with the IIC Project, is organizing the 6th Asian Women’s Film Festival in New Delhi on 7- 8 March 2010.

This two day event will showcase the works of Asian women film makers in a range of genres – fiction, non-fiction, animation, television reportage. The term ''Asian'' refers to origin – the film maker can be working in any part of the world.

Past editions of the IAWRT-INDIA Asian Women’s Film Festival also travel to many cities in India.

The theme of the Festival in 2010 is BREAKING BOUNDARIES : SHARED SPACES. The selection of films will reflect how women (as film makers and/or as protagonists) negotiate, resist or document political, social, cultural, environmental, educational or economic issues.

This year’s Festival will include the very latest in animation to retrospectives to videos by women working at the grass roots to a selection of student films from cinema schools all over the world.

The best three student films will receive certificates of merit.

We take this opportunity to invite film makers to send in their entries by 20th Dec 2009.

All enquiries should be directed to:

Jai Chandiram, Festival Director : iawrtindiafestival@gmail.com, jaichandiram@yahoo.co.in

Reena Mohan, Program Coordinator, iawrtindiafestival@gmail.com

The IAWRT in partnership with the IIC Project is organizing the Fifth Asian Women's Film Festival in March 2009.

The four previous festivals were :
2005 Expressions in Freedom
2006 Women, Media and Society: Transformations
2007 Reflections : Women Imaging Realities
2008 Insights and Aspirations

In 2009 we again celebrate the vision of women with a two day event, to mark the International Women's Day (March 7th to 8th 2009).

The theme of the festival is 'Dialogues in Diversity'.

The aim of the festival is to open up a space for debates on creative processes and concerns.
Recognizing the critical need for a forum that can sustain the form of documentary as well as women's contribution to this unique form, the festival will showcase documentary films created by women, covering a range of genres and expressive styles. It will present films that explore and reflect on how women filmmakers negotiate, resist or document political, social, cultural, environmental, educational or economic issues. Are they creating a new language of filmmaking, which reflects, explores a news aesthetic and politics of filmmaking? How are women widening the frame for issues concerning women? These can be some of the central questions in the festival coupled with panel discussions and/or a seminar.

IIC -project and IAWRT will use this forum to curate a special session dedicated to short films across genres of animation, fiction and documentary film.

The forms for the festival are available from :
Jai Chandiram

Email: iawrtindiafestival(at)gmail.com
Copy to: jaichandiram(at)yahoo.co.in & vkb06(at)sify.com

India

Asian Women's Festival

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:25:30 +1000

Submission Form for the Asian Women's Festival

India

Contact Details

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:23:36 +1000

Phone: 09811277004
jaichandiram@yahoo.co.in

India

Profile and History

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:22:23 +1000

Jai Chandiram, the first Asian, elected as IAWRT President from 2001-2005, heads the India Chapter. Recognizing the organizational challenges of whether to increase membership or keep intimacy of a small organization; collection of dues; initiating more activities in between biennial conferences and making members proud of being part of the network, Jai proposed for a decentralization scheme in IAWRT. With guidance from the Board, creation of local or national chapters are encouraged who will serve as mechanism for making IAWRT network more visible at the local level. The chapters are expected to initiate activities that will enhance and build capacities of media women consistent with the organizational goals and interests; local system of collecting membership dues and sourcing additional funds to support chapter activities.

The India Chapter members came from various fields of young freelance filmmakers, who wanted to make films, teach and screen their films at home and abroad. The others were producers in radio and media academics and managers. It was a small group but highly articulate and motivated to do something!

Opportunities came when scholarships were offered to three members in Asia, projects in making programs, media training materials and the Asian Women’s Film Festival. The idea for the festival came when the filmmakers voiced the need for a platform to screen their work.

The Asia Project also supported the publication Asian Women Look through the Lens. The publication has wonderful articles by filmmakers, academics and viewers. The continuing support from International India Center (IIC), universities and other organizations, will lead the Chapter to their Seventh Asian Women Festival in 2011. Many of the film projects that have been funded have won awards and the films have been screened both in local and abroad.

The India Chapter has a total of 60 members comprising the biggest number of membership among the chapters.

India