It was in a way
a tribute to women yesterday with
documentaries and films that celebrated the spirit of women in different parts
of the country. It was a day when the viewers hunger for good cinema was
satiated by a documentary on a female police unit set up to fight the rising
crimes against women in the state of Assam. Then there was the film Charlotte,
a Spanish film based on a former movie diva. In the film the director who made
her famous will be filming his latest film. She begins a journey with his
assistant to regain the leading role that she feels belongs to her. But she’ll
have to run from time to time to achieve it. And then there is Rafaela, another
Spanish film which talks about the life of a young girl from the Caribbean
slums who, due to circumstances, becomes a gang leader.
But first there was Olga Delane, a Russian film director living
in Berlin. She is at the film festival keen on meeting Indian producers or
directors who have created short films or feature films that focus on
spirituality. She said “It can be from any part of the country, from any
religion but it should have a strong spiritual angle. That is the reason for my
visit to the festival. I along with partners in Germany are setting up a
platform there which will focus on such content”. She said the number of
spiritual seekers in Europe was increasing and there was great interest and she
was aware India had made movies like the Mahabharata, Radha krishan which she
liked very much. She said they were looking all over Asia for films on
Buddhism, Hinduism, on Krishna to name just a few. She hoped to launch the
platform in 2022. Olga expressed the hope her spiritual home would help her
along the way.
Veerangana, according
to Kishore Kalita the Director and Producer of the documentary of the same
name, meant a brave female, someone who can fight for their rights. A strong
woman not only protects herself, but protects others too. It has been selected
for the Indian Panorama section in the non-feature film category. It deals with
a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country; Assam Police’s first female
commando force ‘Veerangana’ which was launched in the year 2012.
Brainchild of the
present Director General of Police, Assam, Shri Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, who was
the then AGP (Training and Armed Police), Veerangana is a strong female police
unit to fight the rising crimes against women in the state of Assam. These
women were trained in motorbike riding, martial arts and handling lethal and
non-lethal weapons to effectively deal with any crime. They were also trained
in ‘Silent Drill’, a unique silent precision exhibition drill in handling a
rifle, made famous by the US Marines.
In the 21 minute
documentary, the Directors show us how the female commando unit of Assam Police
carries out various activities and how they deal with the increasing trends of
criminality in society with confidence and strength.
Talking about his
motivation behind doing the film, Kalita said that “We all have a
responsibility to make the society better. Films are the finest medium of
storytelling and sending messages to society. This is why I decided to document
the journey of the Veerangana through this film.”
The documentary shows
the other side of these brave ladies in khaki too. “Some of them are good in
writing, some are good in singing and dancing etc., they pursue these interests
in their free time”, the Director remarked. The documentary shows the women
officials sharing how the Veerangana unit brought out the strength inside them -
which they never knew they had within them - to the forefront. They also talked
about the various opportunities which opened up after this endeavor.
The Spanish and
Guarani film Charlotte captures the journey of a forgotten Argentinian actress
in search of an aspirational future. According to the director Simon Franco,
the role essayed by Angela Molina is about a time in her life when Charlotte
realises what she used to be and what she is now. Her journey starts from that
point itself, a journey which was mostly inward rather than external. Asked if
the movie could be termed a road movie, he said “Yes, the film meticulously
portrays various elements of the road journey. However, it can’t be called a
classical road movie, it is a personal one.”
Lena Fernandez, the
producer of the film said the film brings out the cultures and lifestyles of
people of different ethnicities, especially from Taiwan. Speaking about the
role of this diversity, Ms. Lena said: “Paraguay has a large population of
people from Taiwan. Moreover, Paraguay is a country which recognises Taiwanese
people.” In addition, “we wanted to give an international flavour to the
movie,” she added.
Finally there was
Rafaela, a Spanish film from the Dominican Republic. Judith Rodriguez said the
idea of Rafaela sprouted 10 years ago and how a short film finally evolved into
a full length feature film. “The Journey of Rafaela started and grew with me,”
she added. Speaking about the message she wanted to convey to her audience, she
said that, “It is just a story of a girl who is trying to find a better place
for her as well as her family. I think women have the power to tell their
stories in their own way, with their own unique sensibilities and sensitivities
to see and experience reality. We need more and more women to come out and tell
stories from their own point of view.” The 93 minute Spanish language film
Rafaela, was screened in the World Panorama category on Sunday. “Watching the
movies here and participating in the opening ceremony felt like we were
experiencing Indian culture. It was magical and inspiring,” said Judith
Rodriguez. On the reception of her film at IFFI, and the festival arrangements,
she said that it’s a testimony to the keen interest the government is taking in
enriching the film culture in India.
On coming to India
for the first time, Actor Hony Astrella said, “We are amazed to see how
advanced you are in Cinema and your industry. We were so happy to watch our
films on the huge screens with advanced technology in IFFI and the experience
was incredible.” Indian culture is super inspiring and it motivates us to do
similar things back in our countries.
The
festival has got off to a good start with long lines witnessed for movies set
to be screened in the evening. One hopes it will be a festival everyone
remembers with happy memories.