Two women, Anupama Srinivasan and Uma Tanuku, were full of questions when they started working on the International Association of Women in Radio and Television’s (IAWRT) Asian Women’s Film Festival sometime ago. The questions were so pertinent that their impatience compelled them to find answers to queries like what does the world look like when seen by women? What are the sort of themes that Asian women make films on? Is there such a thing as a ‘woman’s perspective’?
The answers have been coming to them, slowly and steadily, through the last 10 years, each time IAWRT organises its film festival.
The 10th edition will be held in the next few days, around the time of International Women’s Day and will showcase the works of women filmmakers of Asian origin in multiple genres—documentary, short fiction, animation, experimental and feature fiction. ‘‘It started as a two-day event showcasing documentaries made by women of Asian origin. In the past 10 years, it’s grown into a four-day event with a range of genres, many participating filmmakers, seminars, and exhibitions—all celebrating women’s creative expression. The audience has also grown. We have students from media schools, activists, academics and film lovers,’’ says Uma Tanuku, festival co-director.
Over 60 films and sound works from 15 countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Taiwan and Turkey, will be screened. ‘‘Apart from the general programme, the countries in focus are Sri Lanka and Taiwan. There is also a new section titled Soundphiles, a celebration of listening,’’ says Anupama Srinivasan, the other festival director.
She also informs us that the festival is held around Women’s Day every year to create a space for them to share their work, discuss and learn from each other in a spirit of camaraderie. ‘‘They explore many ideas and subjects through their cinema, and our festival seeks to foreground the depth and diversity of their work,’’ says Uma.
Date March 5 to 8
Time and venue details
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