Empowering women through films

What is the FICCI FLO Film Festival about and how did the idea of organising such a festival come up?
The Women's Wing of FICCI, also known as FLO (FICCI Ladies Organisation) will be launching the first edition of the FLO FILM FESTIVAL this week. Showcasing over 30 films themed on women empowerment and gender sensitivity, the festival aims to change gender stereotypes and foster social change through the medium of film. As the oldest business chamber for women in South Asia, FLO has been working on its mission to economically empower women since the last 32 years. The intention of having this festival is to give a platform to the huge amount of work that FLO is doing in terms of advocacy for women's issues, creating entrepreneurial motivation among women, training women, and encouraging them to take up non-traditional roles. In turn, we wish to further fuel the work of FLO through the medium of films.

According to a research, women played only 30.2 percent of all speaking roles or named characters in the 700 biggest Hollywood box office films from 2007 to 2014 and only 28 of those films were directed by women. We would like the FLO FILM FESTIVAL to influence filmmakers to portray more women on screen first and then portray them in varied and non-traditional roles as well. A script could easily have a woman cab driver, a woman security guard, a woman scientist, a woman manager, woven into the script without affecting the storyline in any way. Why can't Indian cinema aspire to set new benchmarks for women representation? Imagine the impact this could have in terms of opening up people's perceptions towards changing gender stereotypes and fostering social change, if reiterated again and again. After all, films in our country have great reach.

Who are the dignitaries and institutions associated with the festival?
An excellent Advisory board with the likes of Nandita Das, Meghna Ghai Puri, Neeta Lulla, Amruta Fadnavis, UN Women and Tata Institute of Social Sciences, among others, have lent us their strong support. The films for the festival have been curated by Meenakshi Shedde and Prasad Khatu (Ex-MAMI) and centred around themes to inspire women empowerment, self esteem, skill development and social change. International features and documentaries, Indian films, student films from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Whistling Woods and many others will engage and enthral audiences during the festival. Films like Mustang, Fatima, Siti, documentaries like Threads, She Objects amongst others, as well as workshops by Laadli, TISS and ITVS will also offer a wholesome and impactful experience.

What are the other highlights of the festival besides the films that will be screened?
The programme will also see a Global Symposium being held in conjunction with the festival by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media which has recently conducted a research on the role of women in Indian films and their socio-cultural impact. The festival will begin from February 18 and will go on till the 20. As part of the programme, special workshops were held on topics like "Through the Gender Lens", "Unpacking the Media, Unpacking our Identities", and "Change the Story".

Registration for the film festival can be done online on www.Insider.in and the venue will have the box office open from the February 15 onwards.