In an unprecedented gathering, all Consulates in Mumbai, through the Consular Corps, came together to watch a special screening of Son Rise — a new documentary on gender rights by National Award winning filmmaker Vibha Bakshi. The Screening was co-hosted by UN Women, the Films Division and Sonia Hays, wife of New Zealand Consul General and Vice-Dean of the Consular Corps, Ralph Hays.
Set in Haryana, the film depicts ordinary men striving to repair the skewed sex ratio in the state. It includes a village sarpanch fighting for women to enter the male-dominated arena of local-politics and a farmer who decides to marry a gang rape survivor and get her justice.
Speaking to a packed house, Ralph Hays said, “We are proud of Vibha Bakshi for creating Son Rise, a powerful gender rights film which makes men equal collaborators in the struggle.” Following the success of her previous National award winning film, Daughters of Mother India, Bakshi added, “A film cannot solve the problem, but it can certainly open a dialogue.
SON RISE focuses on ordinary men, who have done the ‘extraordinary’ to change the narrative on inequality. The three men featured in this film are the torchbearers and the real heroes for change. It’s time for men to become part of the struggle in establishing a gender equal society, and set examples for other men to follow.”