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Tag: Mitu Kumar

  • Over 25 films awarded at Mumbai Womens International Film Festival

    Over 25 films awarded at Mumbai Womens International Film Festival

    Veteran actor Shabaza Azmi and senior actor-director Nandita Das along with renowned choreographer Saroj Khan were awarded Awards of Excellence at the Mumbai Women’s International Film Festival (MWIFF) in the western metropolis.

     

    The seven-day Festival organised by Oculus Creations had screened 210 films from across 70 nations and had given women filmmakers an international platform to screen their talents.

     

    While ‘Aabida’ by Maaria Sayeed of India won the best short film award, the largest number of awards went to ‘Bawra Mann’ for editing by Meghna Ashchitr and screenplay by Mitu Kumar and Abhilasha Nagi. The runner-up in the short film category was Israel’s ‘Rpomancy’ by Tal Getritman, Shea E Butler from US won the director’s award for ‘The Trial of Ben Barry’, while the cinematography award went to the British Chris Moon for ‘The Other Woman’. Shazia Shrivatava and Sharifa Roy got the best story award for ‘Do Pahar’.

     

    ‘Connected’ by America’s Tiffany Shiain got the best documentary award, and the runner-up award went to India’s ‘Woman Prayed and preyed upon’ by Kankana Chakraborty.

     

    ‘Silence’ by Avani Saxena and ‘Delivering Hope’ by Niraj Upadhyaya won the best and runner-up awards respectively in the ‘Her’ films category.

     

    Spain’s ‘A soft scent of Cinnamon’ by Giovanna Ribes won the Best Feature film award.

     

    The Audience Choice Awards went to three documentaries – ‘Gawah’ by Gauri Chadha, ‘Scattered Windows, Connected Doors’ by Ms Roohi Dixit and ms Ziba Bhagwagar, and America’s ‘Beyond Silence’ by Vidyut Latay – and two short films: ‘Melody’ by Hana Makki of Dubai, and ;Happy Birthday’ by Sheetal Shetty.

     

    The jury choice award went to the documentary ‘Gun and a God’ by Sonia Nepram of India and the short ‘725’ by America’s Irawati Athalye. Five documentaries came in for special mention: ‘In Our own way’ by Italy’s Wilma Massucco, India’s ‘Shivkalin Mardani Khel’ by Sailee Chandrakant Sane, ‘A country for my daughter’ by South Africa’s ‘Lucilla Blankenberg, India’s ‘My Kashmir’ by Madhuri Mohindar and Vaishali Sinha, and Italy’s ‘Me and Marti’ by Martina Vander Veer.

     

    Khan said: ‘The Bollywood fraternity respects the women filmmaker, long live women power’.

     

    Das said, ‘The percentage of women filmmakers in the industry is very less. I am very happy that women directors, women cinematographers, women editors and all the women technicians who work behind the camera are being felicitated and their work is being showcased at different places in Mumbai from the past one week and I’m also glad that my film ‘Firaaq’ was a part of it.’

     

    Deepa Bhatia, the editor of films ‘Kai Po Che’, ‘Student of The Year’ and ‘My Name Is Khan’ after her felicitation with the Award of Excellence said that this concept will help to uplift women filmmakers.

     

    Singer Shibani Kashyap, who was also awarded, rendered her famous song ‘Sajna Aa Bhi Jaa’.  

    Others felicitated included filmmakers Alankrita Shrivastava and Samruddhi Porey.

  • Bade Ache Lagte Hai… writer-director voices against rape

    Bade Ache Lagte Hai… writer-director voices against rape

    MUMBAI: Last December, the gruesome act of rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern shook the entire country. People took to streets for days to protest against such crimes against women and to call for stricter laws. However, nothing has changed so far and the nation was shaken again when another innocent victim, a photo journalist from Mumbai, who was on job, also raped.

     

    Like many others who have been vocal about such incidents, Writer-director Mitu Kumar, who is known for her creativity in some of the popular television shows like Kahani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kasamh Se, Saath Phere, Sarrkkar, Yahaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli and currently Pavitra Rishta & Bade Ache Lagte Hai… has created web series – Dil se…the echo from the hearts of women.

     

    The series will represent the various facets of Indian women and to try to awaken the perpetrators of crime and help women take cognizance about the dangers that lie before them.

     

    “The reason for this series is to create awareness, on gender sensitization. Why   wake up only in the face of the brutality of such gruesome incident … we need to take a step when we are harassed and not wait… or turn a blind eye till it is too late. What is happening is appalling and has literally jolted us. Outraging a woman’s modesty begins across your street, at your bus stop, in the train you travel, in the office/place you work…stop it there…and rape will be history,” said Mitu Kumar.

     

    The series which kick started on YouTube on gender sensitization has covered issues like eve teasing, marital rape, domestic violence, respect women, gender bias, dressing up women, stalking, harassment at workplace, rape victim, child molestation, dowry, and rights of women and gender stereotypes.