Kolkata plays host to first women film fest

KOLKATA: There is more than the charm of the silver screen that unites awardwinning filmmakers Aparna Sen, Jane Campion, Samira Makhmalbaf, Lucrecia Martel and Vera Chytilova.
It’s their vision for women empowerment — a shared passion that has brought them together for a first-of-it’s kind international women’s film festival in the city. “The festival aims to celebrate the talent, spirit, vision and drive of women in cinema and give audiences a chance to view their perspective,� said a spokesperson of Swayam, a city-based, non-profit women’s organisation, committed to fighting violence against women and children.
‘Made By Women,’ — India’ first international women’s film festival is being brought to the city by Swayam, in collaboration with Mumbaibased NGO Point of View, Federation of Film Societies of India and Nandan.To be held between March 19 and 21 at Nandan, the festival is being screened in Kolkata as part of it’s sevencity tour which includes Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Trivandrum and Bangalore.
The films being screened include Oscar-winning Australian director Jane Campion’s ‘Sweetie,’ National Award winner Aparna Sen’s ‘36, Chowringhee Lane’, Czech Vera Chytilova’s ‘Daisies, Argentine Lucrecia Martel’s ‘La Cienaga — The Swamp’, Iranian Samira Makhmalbaf’s ‘The Apple.
Chytilova is a winner of special prize at Karlovy Vary Inter national Film Festival and Martel has won the Alfred Bauer Award at the Berlin International film festival The highlight of the film festival will be a special tribute to the first woman filmmaker in international cinema, French producer and director Alice Guy. The festival will show rare archival footage of Guy’s films. She directed over 100 films ranging from melodramas and horror films to short musicals and fairy tales — the most famous being ‘The Cabbage Fairy — towards the end of the 19th century.