The 15th edition of IAWRT (The International Association of Women in Radio and Television) Asian Women’s Film Festival will begin today at India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi. The three-day film festival will feature films by women filmmakers from over 20 countries, including Armenia, Bangladesh, Estonia, India, Iran, Sri Lanka, Syria and Turkey.
Apart from a general category, the film festival has three curated segments – on childhood (curated by documentary filmmaker Samina Mishra), on female gaze (curated by editor Bina Paul) and a segment on films from India’s North-East (curated by Supriya Suri). The festival’s official website says the organisers received over 700 entries – animation, short, experimental and student films – from 37 countries this year, the highest number ever. The country of focus this year is Georgia.
Besides film screenings, the festival includes workshops and side-line events. On March 4, a round table discussion on #MeToo, anchored by documentary filmmakers Paromita Vohra and Nupur Basu, was held. A workshop with school girls titled Little Directors, conducted by Nina Sabnani and Samina Mishra, will be held on March 5. During the festival, an art installation titled Bioscopewalli, mounted by design students and artists, will be on display. The festival also features Soundphiles, an experiment in the practice of listening, based on a theme of women and sound technologies, curated by Shikha Jingan.
IAWRT is a global network of women working in electronic and allied media, aimed at strengthening initiatives that ensure women’s views and values are an integral part of programming and to advance the impact of women in media.
For screening schedule and other details, visit: IAWRT India
Feature image credit: IAWRT FB Page Artist: Rachel Levit
