IAWRT Film Festival: An Ode to Women in Cinema

By Shreya Dattatraya Chougule

The International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) once again celebrated women through cinema at 18th edition of Asian Women’s Film Festival held from 15th to 17th March at India International Centre. On the first day, the problems faced by women were portrayed through fictions, non-fiction and animated films made by women.

The first segment, Growing Up in Silence, moderated by Jabeen Merchant, highlighted taboo topics for women in the society. The first short film, Come Moon by Clarissa Ruth Natan, discussed how young girls in an Indonesian village are stuck with old methods like using a cloth instead of sanitary napkin, or how the topic was never discussed in the family. “While the questions are being asked of the daughter, the father, who doesn’t really have any idea about the topic speaks for her. It’s almost as if the girls should not discuss the topic,” said Merchant, as she addressed the audience during an interaction. The other two films - Silent and My Mother’s Daughter - brought the topic of rape to the table. Both the films, through two completely different women, show how their past led their present being greatly affected. Yet they are ready to face it and go through it.


Yu Jin Choi addressing the audience regarding women in animation.

The second segment, A Blurred Lens, brought in different emotions as it went from a heartwarming story like Zhang Zifan’s That Day, to an experimental movie - Bareh by Shabnam Miryazi - discussing death across seven lives. Later Yangchen Thapa’s animation Long Lost Home put forward her personal story about her roots and family. “The whole animation is painted on glass and talks about two generations and their sense of belonging to home. It’s difficult to talk about my lost home Tibet directly, however through these symbols, and films I can truly express what I feel,” said Thapa, as she visited the memories of her family and the process of creation of the film for the audience.

The festival also put the spotlight on South Korean animation by female directors through a special curation Finding Her Way. The curation revolved around the idea of how women are looked at in the society and how some may escape, and some may not. The curation featured films like Little King, Young-suk, Corner of the room, SURA and Moth. Yu Jin Choi later addressed the audience to discuss issues like representation of women in South Korean entertainment industry, and the symbolism through which women are portrayed. “Yes, the women from the above list are shown in the form of a spider, a mouse or a moth. However, it is not to be taken negatively. It just presents a not-so-bright outlook on women’s lives and how they overcome despite the challenges thrown at them,” said Choi.

Bennett University’s Times School of Media is a key partner in the 18^th IAWRT Asian Film Festival. Its students are playing an important role as volunteers and rapporteurs.


(The writer is a Semester II student of BA (Journalism and Mass Communication) programme.)