It is no big news that the Women in Cinema Collective is facing a lot wrath and hatred ever since they took a firm stand in support of a colleague who survived sexual assault. But this hatred isn't strong enough to stop these powerful women from the Malayalam film industry from giving out their opinions and doing wonderful things to spread the message of feminism and gender sensitivity. On October 2, them, in association with Kerala Chalachithra Academy, Rima Kallingal's Mamangam Dance School and Minimal Cinema are screening nine films made by Malayali women filmmakers in an event titled 9 Penn Cinemakal.
The films including Catharsis, Indu and Gi will be inaugurated by author KR Meera and curated by actor and filmmaker Archana Padmini. We caught up with Archana a day before the fest and she was very excited as she shared the event's story. "I have a film society activism background and that way, I'm a member of different film societies in Kerala. I've attended almost all major film festivals in the country, where I observed that women from Kerala have done some interesting work. That was when the thought of such an event came to my mind," says Archana, who was also a jury member in the International Short Film Festival of Kerala. "I focussed on the women filmmakers from Kerala. I could find interesting content and texts in their films," she adds.
A member of WCC herself, Archana says that everyone in her organisation is currently focussed on doing something fresh and important and are absolutely thrilled about the event. She had organised a similar event in Kozhikode earlier this year, which Rima Kallingal happened to attend and she suggested doing it in a bigger way in her dance school.
For Archana, the basic idea is to create a space for women filmmakers who are experimenting in cinema. "There are only few films by female filmmakers that are coming up. But these films are actually making difference. There is an honesty in these works," says the film enthusiast who wishes to screen more such documentaries. She believes that there is so much important work being done in the area of non-fiction.
So is Archana bothered by the criticism faced by the organisation? Let us find out, "It's all part and parcel of my life. In WCC, we're moving together and getting more quality work and the focus is on cinema as an art form," she says.
