There's hope for women in cinema: Director Farah Khatun

By Shreya Singh Chandel

"I can't say if there is a glass ceiling for everyone. But if I happen to encounter one, I would definitely like to explore what's past that," says noted film director Farah Khatun, as she talks about the inequalities faced by women, especially in workplaces.

When it comes to the notion of success, the sky is the limit. However, when it comes to women who are competing to reach for the sky, they find themselves being driven headfirst into a glass ceiling, which tends to limit their journey and cut them out of their paths to success.

In a society where everyone is competing in a race towards excellence, any gender that does not identify as a male has additional obstacles lined up for them.

Where males are expected to be alphas, family heads and their bread winners, women are expected to perform household chores as if they don't have a work life to cater to and cater to work lives as if they don't have household chores to look after.

Khatun discussed how deep rooted misogyny has not only poisoned the society in context to her award winning documentary, 'Holy Rights (2020)', but also, has managed to double down the weight and pressure of career and success.

"I have observed that a female cinematographer has to prove herself by putting in extra efforts to gain the approval of her superiors, in comparison to their male counterparts," she said. Khatun cited an example of the day-to-day gender discrimination faced by females in the field of films and television.

Khatun also mentioned that women can't even voice such things out in the form of films, not because of the lack of medium, but because of the fact that the audience in India considers these topics as PSAs.

However, Khatun hopes to witness a new dawn of hope anytime soon, after being cordially invited to the 18th IAWRT Asia Women’s Film Festival and interacting with other women who find themselves in the same boat.

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.)