KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
With an aim to appraise gender sensitivity across regions, the concluding Day-2 of Doosra Chashma, the international film festival, at University of Kashmir screened movies from both India and Pakistan.
The festival was organized by Kashmir University’s The Media Education Research Centre (MERC) in collaboration with Population First, a Mumbai based NGO.
The film festival follows a two-day “Media and Gender” Workshop that concluded on December 8.
Day two featured seven short films: The Ghetto Girl, Family Album, Mann Ke Manjeere, Song of the other Firefly (all Indian films), and Two Women & A Camera and two episodes of Burkha Avengers (the Pakistani films).
The audience included a number of academicians, social workers, filmmakers, and media students who inspite of inclement weather made their way to the varsity’s Media House Auditorium.
The films followed comprehensive discussion among students and the panel which comprised Coordinator MERC and filmmaker Faruq Masudi, Dr A L Sharda (Director Population First), MERC alumni Gowhar Geelani (Srinagar-based journalist), and Shafqat Habib (noted filmmaker).
On the occasion, Gowhar emphasised that the “onus lies on women to construct and tell their stories”.
“Don’t wait for anyone to tell your stories; there are so many of them regarding domestic violence and of the other issues woven in the political conflict, you should know well how a small girl like Anne Frank told her own story of the holocaust, you should also try to be the Anne Franks of Kashmir,” Gowhar said.
Shafqat Habib along with Faruq Masudi made “expert comments on the technicalities in the films”.
Departing from the convention, the festival ended on a unique note as MERC students formed the panel and discussed their learning and shared individual perspectives about the film festival as well as the preceding workshop.
Prof Syeda Afshana, Program Director, presented the word of thanks.
(The reportage and photographs contributed by the MERC students.)
