CHENNAI : Exploring Healthy Masculinity and Gender Equity. This is the topic of discussion at AWARE India’s latest movie screening session for July. “The sessions are aimed at building a safer and gender-empowered society. By screening thought-provoking movies, we call everyone to be a part of our campaign #ReimagineManhood. It will help us learn the importance of equal roles, gender issues and help in raising gender-responsive boys and men,” Sandhiyan Thilagavathy, founder of AWARE India.
The screening aims to unpack the social constructs of masculinity and increase the understanding of the impact of an individual’s behaviour on themselves and society. The team hopes to explore the nature of sexual violence and men’s role in perpetuating a culture in which sexual violence exists. The panel discussion followed will also offer ways in which men can make the city safe for everyone.
“We’ve been screening movies since January to equip our volunteers with various issues grappling the society. We extended the screening to public sessions since April. The theme for that month was sexual abuse, May was mental health awareness, June was pride month, July is toxic and redefining masculinity. There are also online engagements through social media posts and offline workshops,” he said.
Four movies or documentaries — one each week — will be screened. For the first week, a Netflix documentary The Mask That We Live In and for the second week, a documentary My Own Man were screened. This week, Malayalam film Kumbalangi Nights will be screened. “We wanted to screen a mix of English and regional languages.
There will also be book-reading sessions relating to the theme,” he said. After the screening, workshop facilitators working in the domain will share their perspectives. “Participants can share their takeaway and feedback that will be implemented in the next session. Most of us might not have thought from a few angles while watching it separately. When you do it as a group, it paves way for healthy discussions,” said Sandhiyan.
Distance and timing is a challenge to the team since they are beyond the outskirts of the city. They’re open to conducting screenings in a gated community within the city limits if space is provided. There’s one more session left for the month. People are warming up to the concept and there will be more in the future.
The next session is on July 27 at Chemmenchery Slum Clearance Housing Board.
For details, call: 8122241688