Underprivileged women's films screened at IAWRT film fest

By Shreya Mishra

Six short films produced in the climate impact workshop by 28 women participants coming from urban slums, tribal and underprivileged areas of India were screened at the IAWRT 18^th Asian Women’s Film Festival on Friday.

The short films were made on varied themes ranging from water conservation, pollution to proper garbage disposal. Most of the films were picked from the real-life incidents of these women and made into fiction and non-fiction work.

'Shiksha Se Vanchit', 'Bewakoof Laparvahi','Parda', 'Needhara', 'Dheet hai' and 'Vayu' were the six short films produced in the span of three days of the workshop, from March 1 to 3. The women learned filmmaking using their phones from scratch, from how to hold the camera to recording and learning about different types of shots. These skills were taught to them in the workshop under the mentorship of Dr Gauri Chakraborty who is also the festival director of IAWRT, Yuki Azaad Tomar, professor at Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi and many renowned filmmakers from the industry like Priya Thuvassery, Yousuf Saeed and Imarana Khan.

Speaking about the experience of directing a film for the first time, Rupa Kumari, from Action India NGO, said, "In the beginning, we didn't know how to take photos, how to take videos and which apps we should use, the three-day training helped me learn that. I learned about the camera angles, how to take a shot and how to create a storyline. I'd never done something like this before but now I can create a film sitting my office using my mobile phone.”

Students from Bennett University and Institute of Home Economics, Delhi University, also participated in the production process. They were divided into groups of five with a few students grouped with these women.

The films bought many prevailing issues within their cities and areas at the forefront. "The films are great for people who have just started learning making films. Yes, there is a lot of space to be filled and that will come with experience. This looks very good and I can see that they are fast learners. This opens up a new career route for them," said Hemant Kumar, a member of the audience and a filmmaking enthusiast.

Meanwhile, the conference of screening called 'Only one Earth' started with three international films being played in the beginning, they were 'The Egret River', 'Water Celery' and 'Polar bears.'

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

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