If one is asked to name some legendary women in Indian cinema, heroines from the silent film and black and white eras to the present day are probably what they would think of. While women have captivated hearts with on-screen performances since the beginning of the Indian film industry, for a long time, their involvement off-screen has been rarer. It is some of these women, and the women-centric stories they created, that Framing the Future, by Bangalore Film Society at The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), seeks to highlight. “We’re talking about celebrating women in key technical roles, as directors, cinematographers, editors, sound engineers and more; not just in front of the screen, but also behind the screen,” says Evangeline Jessica Williams, the festival curator, Bangalore Film Society.
Spread over two days, the festival will feature older films like Sudesha (1983) by Deepa Dhanraj, telling the story of a woman who lived in the Himalayas, imprisoned for her protest during the Chipko Movement; and Deveeri (1999) by Kavitha Lankesh, revolving around a young boy and a sister who tries to shield him from her dark life of prostitution.
Alongside are newer films like Starring Sharmila Tagore (2019) by Umang Sabarwal, which traces Tagore’s life from child actor to independent woman. Another highlight is Kicking Balls (2022) by Vijayeta Kumar which won Best Documentary Short at The New York International Film Festival. The defiant documentary tells the story of a group of girls fighting through their child marriages by playing football.
The festival will also see panel discussions featuring women who have made a mark behind the screen like Chaitra Puthraya, one of the first female production designers in the Kannada film industry and, tentatively, Bina Paul, one of the earliest female film editors in the country. “People like Lankesh and Dhanraj are going to be present and talk about how they started, how they’ve got here today, and how things have changed for women filmmakers,” says Williams, adding, “On the second day we’re addressing challenges that women go through in the cinema industry and discussing how to build a better, more inclusive industry.”
The purpose, Williams notes, is encouraging women filmmakers by highlighting role models and opportunities. “There’s a lot of opportunities, and a lot of women interested in doing their own thing in the industry. But often, they’re not aware, or are just stuck. We hope the festival brings an understanding of yourself as a filmmaker in this industry, how things used to be, and also maybe how you could contribute to the future,” she says.
(The event will take place at NGMA, Vasanth Nagar on April 4, 5 from 11am)