MenEngage Global Alliance, Centre for Health and Social Justice & International Association of Women in Radio & Television in association with School of Arts & Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University present MEN AND BOYS FOR GENDER JUSTICE FILM FESTIVAL 2014 6 -‐ 9 November 2014 School of Arts and Aesthetics Auditorium Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Thursday 6 November A THEMATIC-‐CINEMATIC SELECTION 5.00 pm – 8.00 pm
5.00 pm
Inauguration
20 min
5.20 pm
Valeria Sarmiento 66 min A MAN, WHEN HE IS A MAN Costa Rica-‐Chile| 1982 | Spanish Set in Costa Rica and touched with dark humour, this stylistically imaginative documentary illuminates the social climate and cultural traditions which nurture machismo and allow the domination of women to flourish in Latin America.
6.30 pm
Breakthrough BELL BAJAO: Bus Driver; Knock Knock; Ring Ring India | 2007 | 3 fiction shorts (PSA) | Hindi These PSAs or public service announcements were created for Breakthrough’s signature campaign Bell Bajao (Ring the Bell) which urged men and boys to take a stand against violence against women. The campaign won 25 awards, both nationally and internationally.
3 min
6.40 pm
Karan Butani VALMIKI KI BANDOOK India | 2010 | fiction | Hindi 23-‐year-‐old RadheShyam wants to be acknowledged as a “man”, and feels the only way he can prove his masculinity in his community and among his peers is by possessing a double-‐barreled gun. The narrative of his journey provides a humorous take on the weapon culture predominant in some parts of North India.
17 min
The film festival schedule is subject to changes
7.00 pm
Vinoo Choliparambil VITTHAL India | 2008 | fiction | Marathi Followed by discussion with filmmaker After the death of his grandfather, 12-‐year-‐old Vitthal’s parents forcibly shave off his head, in keeping with Hindu death rituals. The boy is angry and resentful. His self-‐image is shattered.
24 min
7.40 pm
Aritra Sarkar PRANER MANUSH (The One Within) India | 2012 | fiction | Bengali, English Followed by discussion with filmmaker Set entirely in a hospital, the film revolves around a young man, and his relationships with his mother and his lover.
15 min
10.00 am
10.10 am
10.40 am
11.00 am 11.15 am
Friday 7 November HEALTH AND WELL-‐BEING 10.00 am – 1.15 pm Introducing the session Aaradhana Kohli Kapur Kristoffer Kiørboe NORTHERN LIGHTS Denmark | 2009 | Danish This is a film about two brothers who, in different ways, stand unsure in the world. They set off to find the Northern Lights. But how do you find the light within yourself? Sarnath Banerjee HAKIM TARTOOSI'S POTENCY OIL India | 2001 | animation | English, Hindi, Bengali An uninhibited caricature of male anxieties derived from sexual myths, this clay animation short is full of playful irreverence. Endearing characters take us on a joyful ride through the world of macho men, adult videos and mysterious elixirs. Tea Break Aditya Seth BAHADUR: The Accidental Brave Nepal-‐India | 2011 | Nepali, English For decades, a combination of rural poverty and political instability has driven thousands of Nepali men south across the open border with
10 min
27 min
21 min
53 min
The film festival schedule is subject to changes
12.10 pm
12.30 pm
1.15 pm
India. Far western Nepal is reeling under the impact of an HIV micro-‐ epidemic with women and children at its core. Dominique Chadwick SEEKING SAFETY: Stepping Stones in Malawi Malawi | 2013 | Chichewa The film highlights the importance of developing good gender relationships through negotiations around money, medication and condom use in the context of HIV, GBV (gender-‐based violence) and SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights) DISCUSSION The male ego – obstacle to sexual and general health? Aditya Seth, Steven Iphani, Pradeep Tandan, Reena Nath (Moderator-‐Discussant) Lunch
2.15 pm
2.25 pm
2.45 pm
2.55 pm
13 min
40 min
VIOLENCE 2.15 pm– 5.00 pm
Introducing the session Manak Matiyani Jackson Katz VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN – IT’S A MEN’S ISSUE USA | 2013 | English | TEDxFiDi Women Domestic violence and sexual abuse are often dismissed as “women’s issues”. But in this bold, blunt talk, Jackson Katz points out that these are intrinsically men’s issues — and shows how these violent behaviours are tied to definitions of manhood. Paw Charlie Ravn TWO FRIENDS Denmark | 2010 | animation | Danish Albert and his best friend Jonas are orphaned children. They live in a harsh dystopia of the future, where the women and other children are all dead. The men have begun to yearn for a woman’s body. A film about friends sticking together against all odds in a world where hope is fading fast. Lucinda Broadbent MACHO Nicaragua-‐Scotland | 2000 | Spanish Macho tells that story, and offers glimpses of the methods used by Men Against Violence to discuss the abuse of power and the damage it causes families and communities. Despite living and working in one of the most destitute countries in Latin America, this group has
10 min
19 min
8 min
26 min
The film festival schedule is subject to changes
3.25 pm
3.35 pm
3.45 pm
4.00 pm
4.20 pm
4.35 pm
5.00 pm
evolved a model that is now used worldwide by other groups working with men and boys for gender justice. Center for Digital Storytelling SILENCE SPEAKS: James’ story (South Africa, 4 min) Omar’s story (Belize, 3 min) | 2007-‐14 | English These first-‐person pieces were created through a participatory process, with control over story content and images firmly in the hands of the storytellers. As a series, they demonstrate the courage of individual men in taking a stand against the exploitation of women. For this package, we have selected just 5 shorts of many. Must Bol VOICES AGAINST VIOLENCE: Don’t Be a Clown (4 min); Shit People Say (3 min); The Fine Line (2 min) India | 2012 | fiction (campaign) | Hindi, some English text The 20 shorts chosen for this festival, from among many more, were made as part of the Must Bol campaign against gender-‐based violence. They raise critical questions about oppressive gender norms and stereotypes, issues of consent and violence in relationships, sexual harassment and homophobia. Oh, man! (or, Who’s afraid of the big macho stereotype?) Observations & discussions: Nandini Rao Virginia Lacayo, Amy Bank GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN Nicaragua | 2007 | TV series: Sixth Sense | Spanish Teenagers confront machismo every day – at school, with their friends, in relationships. There is a dominating boyfriend, pressure to have sex, a violent father, homophobia and sexual violence. Sofia, Elena, Gabriel, Angel and Frankie become stronger by facing these situations and "going against the grain". Ankur Bansal MAULA BAKSH DE India | 2014 | fiction | Hindi A Hindu man teaches a course at a madrasa. A warm relationship develops between him and one of the students, an orphan, and he wishes to adopt the boy – promising to raise him as a Muslim. DISCUSSION From sexism to fundamentalism – straight line or twisted arc? Shehla Rashid, Ankur Bansal, Nandini Rao (Moderator-‐Discussant) Tea break
7min
9 min
15 min
18 min
12 min
30 min
The film festival schedule is subject to changes
5.30 pm
5.40 pm
5.50 pm
6.05 pm
6.15 pm
7.30 pm
CARING, RELATIONSHIPS AND EMOTIONS 5.30 pm – 8.00 pm Introducing the session Anupama Srinivasan Selcen Ergun A SUNNY DAY Turkey | 2011 | fiction | Turkish Ahmet's adventures start with his circumcision at the age of five and continue till he is thirty, as he experiences all the unique stages of “becoming a man” in Turkey. Vidya Sagar Suresh ARIVU India | 2013 | fiction | Kannada A doting son who is taking care of his ailing mother runs out of steam. Then, through an emotional journey of self-‐inquiry, he moves from his agony, suffering and pessimism towards love, compassion and hope, thus finding his bearings again. The Kannada word “arivu” means “to understand, to know”. Nathan Golon MENCARE – CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA South Africa-‐USA | 2014 | English In an impoverished township outside Cape Town, a baby is only a month away from coming into the world. As the young parents prepare for their first child, the uncle-‐to-‐be, a single father, shares his thoughts on being a good dad. Some men embrace new ways of being men, while others begin to unlearn their old violent ways. Visa Koiso-‐Kanttila FATHER TO SON Finland | 2004 | Finnish The first film of a trilogy about fathers and sons, this is the director's personal voyage into the history of his family and his own relationship with his father. DISCUSSION How do men care? (The familial and beyond) Visa Koiso-‐Kanttila, Upali Chakravarti, Anupama Srinivasan (Moderator-‐Discussant)
10 min
7 min
11 min
9 min
70 min
40 min
The film festival schedule is subject to changes
10.00 am
10.10 am
10.20 am
11.15 am 11.30 am
11.40 am
12.20 pm
Saturday 8 November SEXUALITIES, IDENTITIES 10.00 am – 1.15 pm Introducing the session Manak Matiyani Peque Varela 1977 UK | 2007 | animation | non-‐verbal Animation merges with personal photographs to tell the story of a girl in a conservative community struggling to come to terms with her gender identity. Kim Longinotto, Jano Williams SHINJUKU BOYS Japan-‐UK | 1993 | Japanese At the centre of this classic documentary are three onnabe who work as hosts at the New Marilyn Club in Tokyo. Onnabes are persons assigned gender female at birth who identify as masculine or male. This is an intriguing and moving portrayal of some of the complexities of sexuality and gender in modern Japan. Tea Break Sheetal Gokhale, B Prasad THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS India | 2006 | fiction | Hindi One afternoon, a young man is caught by his sister experimenting with her clothes and make-‐up. The film questions the gender identities that society enforces on everyone. Ajita Chowhan, Rintu Thomas, Sumit Sharma, Sushmit Ghosh FLYING INSIDE MY BODY India | 2008 | English The film is a journey with veteran photographer Sunil Gupta, who uses his art to document queer people and histories while challenging stereotypes about the body, sexuality and identity. The film's lyrical style marries still photography with moving images. John Meletse I HAVE TWO South Africa | 2004 | English This short encapsulates the frustrations of a man who, in different spaces, is marginalised either by his sexuality or by his disability.
10 min
8 min
53 min
8 min
36 min
4 min
The film festival schedule is subject to changes
12.25 pm
12.30 pm
1.15 pm
2.15 pm
2.25 pm
2.55 pm
3.30 pm
Must Bol VOICES AGAINST VIOLENCE: Move On (1 min); Labels (1 min) India | 2012 | fiction (campaign) | Hindi, some English text The 20 shorts chosen for this festival, from among many more, were made as part of the Must Bol campaign against gender-‐based violence. The shorts raise critical questions about oppressive gender norms and stereotypes, issues of consent and violence in relationships, sexual harassment and homophobia. DISCUSSION ‘Girls’ will be ‘boys’. Men loving men. Why so afraid, Mr Straight? Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh, Gautam Bhan, Mario da Penha, Manak Matiyani (Moderator-‐Discussant) Lunch break POVERTY AND WORK 2.15 pm – 5.00 pm Introducing the session Aaradhana Kohli Kapur Hamed Alizadeh CHECK POINT Afghanistan | 2011 | Dari 15 policemen inspect all the cars that enter the city centre from Dehbori district. These men, recruited from different provinces to maintain the security of Kabul city, stay cooped together in three green containers with the barest living facilities.
2 min
45 min
10 min
29 min
Yasmine Kabir 34 min MY MIGRANT SOUL Bangladesh | 2000 | Bengali Shahjahan Babu, a migrant worker, left the poverty of his life in Bangladesh for work in Malaysia that was meant to improve his family’s chances of survival. Babu sent home audiotapes, in which he recounted his bitter experiences in Malaysia. The camera is the medium through which Babu tells us his story posthumously, along with his grief-‐stricken mother and sister. Gitanjali Rao 19 min TRUELOVESTORY India | 2014 | animation | non-‐verbal A painted ode to romance, the film is a journey through the seductive, treacherous streets of Bombay. In a city soaked in Bollywood dreams, it moves from the fantastical to the viscerally real. The film festival schedule is subject to changes
3.55 pm
4.15 pm
5.00 pm
5.30 pm
5.40 pm
6.00 pm
6.15 pm
Jocelyn Lehrer from THE MEN’S STORY PROJECT: OUT LOUD! Trailer (4 min); Dignity – manual labour, classism (9 min) Chile | 2013 | Spanish With unusual candour, diverse Chilean men share personal stories with a live audience at a popular theatre in Santiago. Making use of prose, comedy, dance, photography and video, the stories critically explore social ideas about masculinity and gender relations in Chile. DISCUSSION Born poor, living poor, forever poor. Who scripts this story? Sreerekha Sathi, Jocelyn Lehrer, Aaradhana Kohli Kapur (Moderator-‐ Discussant) Tea break TRACKING INTERSECTIONS 5.30 pm – 8.00 pm Introducing the session Smriti Nevatia Jocelyn Lehrer from THE MEN’S STORY PROJECT: OUT LOUD! Trailer (4 min); Life...Simply Life (14 min) or Trans De/Constructions (16 min) Chile | 2013 | Spanish With unusual candour, diverse Chilean men share personal stories with a live audience at a popular theatre in Santiago. Making use of prose, comedy, dance, photography and video, the stories critically explore social ideas about masculinity and gender relations Kinshuk Surjan POLA India | 2012 | fiction | Hindi The story is set in the context of the widespread farmers’ suicides in India. Bittu is a carefree and boisterous 9-‐year-‐old who grows anxious as he watches his father break down slowly under the pressure of debt. Bittu tries to protect his father in whatever ways he can. Despite all their hardships, the farmers still celebrate the festival of Pola as a tribute to their livelihood. Kavita Bahl, Nandan Saxena CANDLES IN THE WIND India I 2013 I Hindi, Punjabi, some English Against the backdrop of non-‐remunerative agriculture in Punjab, farmer suicides are escalating. As the widows learn to cope with their loss within the ambit of their altered social and economic reality, they
13 min
45 min
10 min
20 min
15 min
52 min
The film festival schedule is subject to changes
7.15 pm
re-‐negotiate the rules of engagement and the politics of male domination in their bid to survive. The film brings us a nuanced understanding of the silent undercurrents of their gender-‐specific struggle. DISCUSSION Unquestioned masculinities – dangerous at best, fatal at worst Jocelyn Lehrer, Kavita Bahl, Nandan Saxena, TBA
45 min
Sunday 9 November PEACE BUILDING, SOCIAL JUSTICE, INCLUSION 10.30 am – 1.15 pm 10.00 am
10.10 am
10.15 am
10.30 am
Introducing the session 10 min Aaradhana Kapur Kohli Gauri Shinde 2 min RESPECT FOR WOMEN: Coffee Maker; Mixer; Juicer; Iron India |2014 | 4 fiction shorts (TVC) | 30 sec each | Hindi As women in a range of situations assert their personhood, the idea behind this much-‐discussed campaign from the Lintas Lowe advertising agency is simple: women are not kitchen appliances. Must Bol 3 min VOICES AGAINST VIOLENCE: Chocolate (1min); Consent is Key (2 min) India | 2012 | fiction shorts | Hindi, some English text Followed by discussion with filmmakers The 20 shorts chosen for this festival, from among many more, were made as part of the Must Bol campaign against gender-‐based violence. The purpose was to help young volunteers create and use digital stories to talk about gender issues, including the pressure to perform masculinities in a patriarchal context. The shorts raise critical questions about oppressive gender norms and stereotypes, issues of consent and violence in relationships, sexual harassment and homophobia. Devayush Chowdhary 16 min THE OTHERS USA | 2013 | live action & animation| English Followed by discussion with filmmaker This short fiction film tries to explore complex questions of truth, society, and power through the story of Katrina, a timid young girl who lives in New York City and fancies her boss, one of the richest men in Manhattan. Through the use of various kinds of animation along with live action, The Others tells a stark story of violence and retribution. The film festival schedule is subject to changes
11.00 am 11.20 am
11.50 am
12.20 pm
1.15 pm
Tea Break Tangella Madhavi 29 min LISTEN LITTLE MAN India | 2007 | English The film explores the tradition of ragging in educational institutes through the experiences of students, as well as their families and friends who have been affected by it and protested against it. A connection unfolds between ragging and larger forms of violence in society, which involve following orders without questioning them. Lalit Vachani 27 min THE BOY IN THE BRANCH India | 1993 |Hindi, English The RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) is India’s foremost Hindu fundamentalist organisation. The film juxtaposes the activities of two different RSS shakhas or branches in Nagpur, where the RSS has its headquarters. DISCUSSION 45 min They make a desolation and call it peace Ira Bhaskar, Harsh Mander, Smriti Nevatia (Moderator-‐Discussant) Lunch THE MAKING OF MEN: FROM MASCULINITY TO HUMANITY 2.15 pm – 5.00 pm
2.15 pm
2.25 pm
2.35 pm
Introducing the session Manak Matiyani Must Bol VOICES AGAINST VIOLENCE: I Let Be I (4 min) Lesser Man (4 min) India | 2012 | fiction shorts | Hindi, some English text The 20 shorts chosen for this festival, from among many more, were made as part of the Must Bol campaign against gender-‐based violence. The shorts raise critical questions about oppressive gender norms and stereotypes, issues of consent and violence in relationships, sexual harassment and homophobia Nazli Deniz Güler 1/2/3 Turkey| 2010 |fiction | 8 min | Turkish Ahment's adventures start from his circumcision from the age of five and continue till he is thirty, as he experiences all the stages of ''becoming a man'' in Turkey.
10 min
8 min
8 min
The film festival schedule is subject to changes
2.45 pm
3.10 pm
3.40 pm
4.00 pm
4.20 pm
Mayenzeke Baza 24 min I AM A MAN South Africa | 2013 | 24 min | Xhosa, English In Xhosa culture, ukwaluka – being circumcised – is as sure as taxes. Just as Jewish boys are circumcised and have a bar mitzvah, Xhosa boys go to the bush. The ritual is an ancient tradition in South African societal structures; however, currently there is a problem. Young men are dying. The film goes in search of the reasons why communities still go through with it when they know the dangers. Does having your foreskin cut off in early adulthood truly make you a man? Harjant Gill 27 min MARDISTAN (MACHOLAND) India | 2014 | Punjabi, Hindi, English A writer attempts to make sense of the physical and sexual abuse he witnessed while at an elite military academy; a working class father of twin daughters resists the social pressure to have a son; a college student searches for a girlfriend with whom he can lose his virginity; a gay man decides to come out to his wife after nearly 20 years of marriage. Through the experiences of these four men, the film explores notions of manhood in a rapidly globalising India, and reflects on the entrenched patriarchy and gendered violence present in a society increasingly defined by inequalities. Martha Clarissa Hernández, Amy Bank 18 min NEITHER BOSS NOR BULLY Nicaragua | 2013 | TV series: Sixth Sense | Spanish José Roberto wants to be a good husband and father, but his machismo threatens to tear apart his family. To get back the people he loves the most, he has to change. Samata Jadhav, Pradeep Paralkar, Amol Lalzare, Yashodhara Salve 19 min SOCH SAHI, MARD WAHI India | 2011| Hindi What does it take be a “real man”? What does a “real man” look like? Does using abusive language affirm one’s masculinity? What effect does this have on how children are socialised? Does caring for one’s family and helping with housework make one less of a man? The film looks at these issues through the eyes of ordinary men and women in Mumbai. DISCUSSION 40 min The masculinities we carry forward and the masculinities we renounce Abhishek Sharma, Sehjo Singh, Manak Matiyani (Moderator-‐ Discussant) The film festival schedule is subject to changes
5.00 pm
5.30 pm
5.40 pm
6.10 pm
7.25 pm
7.45 pm
Tea break
CLOSING FILMS 5.30 pm – 8.15 pm
Introducing the session Smriti Nevatia Andreas Koefoed A DAY IN THE SMOKE Egypt-‐Denmark | 2008 | Arabic At the far end of a dark Cairo alley sits a café that never closes – and never sleeps. Sitting alone, a young man writes down poetry from what he sees and hears and remembers. A colourful glimpse of Egyptian diversity just before the country’s recent revolution. Nadia Zouaoui, Carmen Garcia NADIA’S JOURNEY Algeria-‐Canada | 2006 | French, Berber When Nadia Zouaoui was 19, her parents forced her into an arranged marriage with an Algerian man living in Montreal, who was twice her age. In this film, she returns to her village in Algeria years later to see if things have changed. Her journey is a hellish voyage into a patriarchal culture that keeps women in servitude, a society obsessed with female virginity. She depicts with clarity and intimacy the cruelty endured even to this day by so many girls and women held captive in their homes. Nia Dinata A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN IN BONDOWOSO Indonesia | 2013 | Indonesian A religious teacher at a madrasa in Bondowoso becomes a role model in the community, preaching what he practises. He values gender equality, and shares household chores and childcare duties with his wife. DISCUSSION (Re)Negotiating the male space Tanmay, Urvashi Butalia, Smriti Nevatia (Moderator-‐Discussant)
10 min
29 min
75 min
15 min
30 min
The film festival schedule is subject to changes
