KOCHI: Classic cinematic works by women filmmakers await film lovers in the capital. Banner Film Society will screen these films at the upcoming film festival on October 22. Rudaali, 36 Chowringhee Lane, Train to Pakistan and Firaaq are some of the films that will be screened at the event.
The 1993 Hindi film Rudaali directed by Kalpana Lajmi is one of the opening films at the fest. The film gains significance not only for being the work of a lady filmmaker but also being based on a short story written by Bengali Litterateur Mahasweta Devi.
A work which revolves around the bad fortune surrounding a lower caste lady named ‘Shanichari’, speaks about the plight of low caste women who are forced to be professional mourners or ‘Rudaali’s who mourn the death of men belonging to the higher class. ‘Rudaali’ ended up earning many an accolade for its cast, with Dimple Kapadia getting the National Film Award for essaying the protagonist, while Samir Chanda won the National award for the best art direction. The work was also selected as an entry to the Best Foreign Language category at the 66th Academy Awards.
‘Firaaq’, a 2008 Hindi political thriller, anthology and a directorial debut of actor Nandita Das is another classic work which will be screened on the occasion.
A critically acclaimed work nationally and internationally, ‘Firaaq’ speaks about the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat violence and its effects on the people. The film ended up bagging two National Film Awards at the 56th National Film Awards, getting awards in a number of other festivals, including the Asian Festival of First Films in Singapore and the Kara Film Festival in Pakistan.
The 1998 Hindi film directed by Indian film director Pamela Rooks and adapted from Khushwant Singh’s 1956 novel is set in the background of the Partition in India in 1947. The film was shown in various International Film Festivals, namely Zanzibar International Film Festival, Beirut International Film Festival, Fiminale International Film Festival, Germany, Indian Film Week 2000 in Hong Kong. ‘Train to Pakistan’ was also nominated for best film at the 1999 Cinequest Film Festival.
Last but not the least, ‘36 Chowringhee Lane’ ends the list of works to be screened at the event. Yet another directorial debut by Bengali actor Aparna Sen, the film explores the life of an Anglo-Indian woman leading a lonely life in post-independent India. A critically well received film, it won Sen a Best Direction Award at the National Film Awards. The films will be screened on October 22 at Lenin Balavadi.