Films that highlighted women’s voices and their rights, contesting patriarchal norms, as well as those that aimed to repress their desires through societal impositions, were presented at a day-long festival co-hosted by a feminist organisation and a film institute on Sunday.
The festival brought together change-makers, academicians, and students to foster dialogue on gender equality both within the film industry and society at large.
“Films serve as a non-threatening medium for fostering dialogue among diverse backgrounds and varying literacy levels, a feat that certain other formats, such as lectures or formal settings, may struggle to achieve,” stated Amrita Dasgupta, director of Swayam, a feminist organisation dedicated to promoting gender equality and combating discrimination and violence.
Panel discussions followed the film screenings.
“We don’t want just to show films, but rather create a dialogue and a space to ask questions,” said Dasgupta.
Swayam, in collaboration with Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute ( SRFTI), presented Unframe: Cinema for Equality to mark South Asian Women’s Day on November 30.
The day celebrates sisterhood and solidarity while addressing critical issues of justice, peace and women’s issues across the region.
The collaborative festival aligns with Swayam’s vision of a “violence-free, gender equal society by amplifying films that reject inequality and inspire collective action.”
In one film, a new mother is portrayed in a joint family context, facing challenges in breastfeeding her newborn because her milk is drying up. The woman is not given the chance to understand that she requires rest and sustenance to nurture her child.
In another film, a woman residing in a conventional family is expected to fulfill the “traditional role of a mother”. She discovers fleeting moments of amusement, pleasure, and desire, expressing herself in a wholly “abandoned way”. However, these instances are brief and starkly contrast with her actual life, which is dominated by patriarchy.
Some films have addressed the narratives of individuals possessing different sexual identities and the challenges they confront in their pursuit of coming out and being embraced by society.
“A lot of the issues are difficult, but through films and personalising the stories, we can reach a wider audience. It touchingly brings home realities,” said Anuradha Kapur, founder of Swayam.
“A person has the inherent right to pursue a fulfilling existence, and if societal norms or expectations obstruct that pursuit, it alters the individual’s experience. The level of suffering endured can prompt others to empathise with or recognise the needs of that person,” said Kapur.
Some were short films that also addressed complex issues, despite the time constraint.
“We are trying to generate a conversation which is at the core of Swayam’s work about changing mindset, creating dialogues, initiating discussions on gender equality, changing narratives...to motivate people to think differently because films do influence the audience’s minds,” said Dasgupta.
“As a feminist, I can affirm that there are various spaces where alternative narratives are emerging; however, when we consider box office hits, it is typically the standard, sexist, and misogynistic films that thrive, which again serves as a reflection of the society we live in and our mentalities,” said Dasgupta.