Dear Friend,
We are very happy to invite you to Daughters of Fire - a two day film festival on violence against women and women’s resistance to it followed by discussions.
The festival is being organised by Vimochana and the Asian Women’s Human rights Council (AWHRC) in collaboration with the Bangalore Film Society and Alliance Francaise de Bangalore on 27 and 28 June, 2009 from 10.00am to 8.00pm at the Alliance Francaise, 108, ThimmaiahRoad, Vasanthnagar, Bangalore 560052.
It is being held against the backdrop of the India Court of Women on Dowry and Related Forms of Violence to be organised by Vimochana and AWHRC in partnership with several women’s groups on July 27-29, 2009. The Court is an attempt to bring the phenomena of dowry violence that has been made invisible, normal and routine back to the centre of public consciousness and conscience. For details of the Court, please contact Vimochana at the address given in the letter head.
The films therefore will reflect on the nature of violence particularly against women, the institution of marriage and the accompanying violence and the burden of being born a girl. It will also look at how women respond and resist this violence both at an individual and collective level, the different notions of justice that exist in different cultures and communities.
The festival is open to all those interested. However, since admission is on a first come first served basis, please make sure that you are there well on time.
We look forward very much to seeing you at the festival.
With regards,
Shakun/Kalpana George Kutty A L
For Vimochana Bangalore Film Society
For further information; contact: Siddharth: 9886213516
Schedule & Synopsis:
27 June, Saturday
10.00am - 10.30am Inauguration: B Jayashree
Theatre Artist
Director Rangayana
Inaugural Film
Mann Ke Manjeere 5 mins
Dir: Shoojith Sircar & Gary
A vibrant short film/music video that takes us on the journey of a fearless woman who leaves an abusive marriage and works as a truck driver to support her and her daughter.
10.30am - 1.30pm
Segment one: A Requiem for Agony
Teen Behane 120 min
Dir: Kundan Shah
Director Kundan Shah’s heartrending, life-affirming tale opens with three sisters about to commit suicide when they’re interrupted and are forced to postpone their deaths by six hours. It explores all their joys and sorrows, and mainly, their zest for life even when the death is virtually knocking at their door. How these tragedies can be avoided is the hope and vision of this film.
Akha Teej 32 min
Dir: Sehjo Singh
When drought, scarcity and poverty are rampant and virginity is the sole criterion for family pride, child marriages become a way of life. This documentary tries to explore the compulsions which force the people of Rajasthan to force their little children into matrimony, in open defiance of the law of the land and also all attempts at reform.
Ailo Bailo Sailo 13 min
Dir: Madhushree Dutta
Constructed as a folk musical, this short film journeys into rural Bengal to engage with the social phenomenon that endorses and sustains trafficking. The film advocates better understanding of girl children - their sexuality, productive potential and their need for constructive nurturing.
1.30pm – 2.30pm Lunch
2.30 pm – 3.30pm Discussion
3.30pm – 3.45 pm Tea break
3.45 pm – 5.15 pm Segment one continues
Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan
Dir: Petr Lom 52 min
Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgystan documents in harrowing detail four bride abductions, from the violent seizures on city streets and the tearful protests of the women, who are physically restrained and persuaded to accept their fate by the women of the groom's family, to the often tense negotiations between the respective families, and either the eventual acquiescence or continued refusal of the young women.
The Women’s Kingdom
Dir: Xiaoli Zhou 22 min
Keepers of one of the last matriarchal societies in the world, Mosuo women in a remote area of southwest China live beyond the strictures of mainstream Chinese culture – enjoying great freedoms and carrying heavy responsibilities. Beautifully shot and featuring intimate interviews, this short documentary offers a rare glimpse into a society virtually unheard of 10 years ago and now often misrepresented in the media.
5.15pm – 8.00 pm
Segment two: A Paean to Courage
Soul Voice, Solo Voice
Dir: Mallika Sarabhai 30 min
This film celebrates Rukmabai, the first woman to break the male bastion amongst the Manganiars of Rajasthan, famed bards and singers, whose popularity has grown to enviable heights today. This is the story of a fight against every misfortune, a fight against every prejudice. And it is the story of a woman who laughs at life, who takes it on her own terms, always with a pinch of salt. It traces Rukmanbai's evolution, as a woman, as an Indian and as a singer of power.
Swaraj
Dir: Anwar Jamal 90 min
A searing tribute to the spirit of Leelavati, a panchayat member in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, who lost her life when she dared to oppose the tanker mafia her village, Swaraj- The Little Republic evocatively chronicles the efforts of four courageous women who cross the desert barefoot in an effort to secure water for their village.
Song of Silence
Prod/Dir: AWHRC/Chalam Bennurakar 40 min
A collage of Women in Black- a women’s resistance movement against war and for peace, from across the world.
28 June, Sunday
10.00am – 1.30 pm Segment two continues
Testimony of Amonita Balajadea
Prod: AWHRC 8 min
The story of a comfort woman survivor in her own words.
Behind Forgotten Eyes
Dir: Anthony Gilmore 80 min
During WWII the Japanese Imperial Army forcefully used over 200,000 Korean women as sexual slaves. Behind Forgotten Eyes examines the enduring legacy of this horrifying chapter in East Asian history through interviews with Korean victims and Japanese soldiers as well as academics, social activists and professionals.
In the Tall Grass
Dir:J. Coll Matcalfe 65min
In the Tall Grass tells the story of Rwanda’s search for redemption after genocide as the country sits down to reckon with the horror in a network of informal, community courts called gacaca. The film follows a genocide survivor through this historic process as she confronts the neighbor she says killed her family and the community that sanctioned their murders.
1.30pm – 2.30pm Lunch
Sisters in Law
Dir: Kim Longinotto & Florence Avisi 105 min
Sisters in Law: Stories from a Cameroon Court is a warm and inspiring portrayal of the aspects of women's lives and work in the judicial system in Cameroon, West Africa. The film centres around four cases involving violence against women. With fierce compassion, two feisty and progressive-minded women- State Prosecutor Vera Ngassa and Court President Beatrice Ntuba dispense wisdom, wisecracks and justice in fair measure, handing down stiff sentences to those convicted.
4.15pm – 4.30 pm Tea
4.30pm - 5.30 pm Discussion
The Lightening Testimonies
Dir: Amar Kanwar 113 min
The Lightning Testimonies reflects upon a history of conflict in the Indian subcontinent through experiences of sexual violence. In this exploration, multiple submerged narratives are revealed, sometimes in people, images and memories, and at other times in objects from nature and everyday life that stand as silent but surviving witnesses. In all the narratives, the body is central – as a site for honor, hatred and humiliation and also for dignity and protest.
Mercedes Sosa
2 min
Closing Song.
For information on the India Court of Women on Dowry and Related Forms of Violence against Women click here
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