Category Archives: Women,s voices

- Official Section -, Women,s voices

B32 to 44 (Shruthi Sharanyam) India. Official Section

B32 to 44
Shruthi Sharanyam
India. 2023. 110 min

B 32″ to 44″ takes a comprehensive look at the social, cultural and the political relevance of “Breast”, a significant part of female anatomy, in the context of a southern India city, which has yet to embrace the change and the progressive thinking. B 32″ to 44″ revolves around 6 women hailing from different social strata of Kochi, a southern Indian city and how “breast”, a body part, which has been a source of fascination, controversy and symbolism, becomes pivotal in deciding the course of their lives.

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Documentary Section, Women,s voices

Laughing in Afghanistan (Anneta Papathanassiou) Greece

Laughing in Afghanistan
Anneta Papathanassiou
Greece. 2022. 90 min

Karim Asir, the Afghan Charlie Chaplin, wants to change the world using pantomime and humor. Amidst bombs and destruction, laughter is his only weapon. After the Taliban takeover Karim receives death threats and fears for his life. A difficult decision seems unavoidable. Can laughter change the world?

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Women,s voices

Roots in the Wind (Soraya Akhlaqi) Afghanistan

Roots in the Wind
Soraya Akhlaqi
Afghanistan. 2022. 26 min

In 1979, after the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan, millions of Afghans were forced to leave their homeland to save their lives, and in the meantime, a huge wave of them immigrated to Iran.
Now, after 4 decades of living in Iran, their second and third generations have been born. They have not seen their motherland and have not had the experience of living there; On the other hand, they are not accepted as citizens in Iran. This suspension has placed them in a diasporic situation.
During these years, the Iranian government has made many restrictions on their access to facilities and services. Prohibition and legal restrictions in choosing residence, travel, job, marriage ban with Iranians, not having the right to have ownership documents and deprivation of a large part of food, health and education subsidies have formed a set of laws that emphasize on their temporary nature and not belonging to the geography of Iran.

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Short Films Section, Women,s voices

On Xerxes Throne (Evi Kalogiropoulou) Greece

On Xerxes Throne
Evi Kalogiropoulou
Greece. 2022. 16 min

A dystopian workplace at the Perama shipyard. A ban on physical contact has turned human interaction into otherworldly simulations. The suppression of touch has alienated the workers communication transforming the boatyard into a charged landscape of alienation and repressed sensuality beyond stereotypical heteronormative desires. According to local legend, the Persian King Xerxes watched the overwhelming defeat of his fleet from his throne on the rocky peaks of Mount Egaleo, in today’s Perama.

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Short Films Section, Women,s voices

Tria (Giulia Grandinetti) Italy

Tria
Giulia Grandinetti
Italy. 2022. 17 min

In a dystopian Rome, a law is enforced which doesn’t allow immigrant families to have more than three children. If a fourth is to be expected, he or she must be born, however, one of them must then be killed, giving the females priority for sacrifice. Zoe, Iris and Clio are three sisters, but one of them will soon be killed…

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Short Films Section, Women,s voices

The Violent (Sasha Gromova) Russia

The Violent
Sasha Gromova
Russia. 2023. 16 min

Zhenya is 15. Besides being a quiet and sensible boy, he is a promising violinist. Behind the door of Zhenya’s bedroom he daily hears his tyrannical stepfather being violent with the boy’s mother, but cannot find the courage to intervene. One sunny morning Zhenya comes to a decision to radically change his family’s life.

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Documentary Section, Women,s voices

Women Beyond Bollywood (Rahila Bootwala) Canada

Women Beyond Bollywood
Rahila Bootwala
Canada. 2022. 53 min

India’s cinema industry is the largest in the world, and Bollywood is its flagship: stars, music, drama, not to mention rampant sexism, are its defining features. Today, a new generation of filmmakers is finally showing women as more than eye candy or appendages to larger than life male heroes. Montreal filmmaker Rahila Bootwala left India as a young woman, wanting to work in film but feeling disconnected from an industry dominated by men and beholden to their fantasies. In this empowering documentary, she goes back to India to meet with the women who are reshaping the industry.

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Documentary Section, Women,s voices

Bangla Surf Girls (Elizabeth D Costa) Canada, Bangladesh

Bangla Surf Girls
Elizabeth D Costa
Canada, Bangladesh. 2021. 86 min

Shobe, Aisha and Suma break away from the drudgery of their lives by joining a surf club in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The girls fight family pressure and social judgement, for a few hours on the waves each day and gain confidence as their natural skill and prowess gains attention and praise. The joy and freedom of the waves are a stark change from the abuse and hardship they face at home. Soon they are poised to make history as Bangladesh’s first women surfers. However the fate of the club itself hangs on the leadership of the coach who has his own challenges. The odds stack up but the girls refuse to give up. .Balancing the freedom of the waves with the restrictive realities of their circumstances, we experience the thrill and struggle of coming-of-age in a developing country.

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