FILM AND THE FEMALE GAZE
A conversation with Talya Lavie, Ruchika Oberoi, Dechen Roder and Anka Schmid
Moderated by Ritu Sarin
Saturday, Nov 7 Club House, 4:15 PM
In an essay in Women and Hollywood, Melissa Silverstein writes: “The female gaze is about women storytellers planting their feet down and shouting with a camera: I AM HERE. I AM PRESENT. I MATTER.” It is no secret that when it comes to filmmaking there is a huge gender imbalance. Why is this the case and how does it impact the work of women filmmakers? Is there such a thing as the female gaze in cinema? And if so, are they the same across borders and cultures? Four women directors from four different countries come together to discuss their experiences and the notion of the female gaze in cinema with DIFF Director and filmmaker Ritu Sarin.
Panelists:
Talya Lavie is a director, screenwriter, and comic artist. Her short film Sliding Flora screened at over 40 film festivals worldwide, and her thesis film The Substitute received the Audience Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Zero Motivation is her first feature film.
Ruchika Oberoi is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. Island City is her debut feature film. The script of Island City participated in the NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab 2012.
Dechen Roder has been making short documentaries and films since 2004. Dechen is also the co-founder and organizer of the first and only documentary and short film festival in Bhutan, Beskop Tshechu. Lo Sum Choe Sum is her third short fiction.
Anka Schmid sees herself as a border-crosser between film and art. Her films have been shown at international festivals such as Locarno, Nyon, Berlinale, San Francisco and Sundance. In Switzerland, in addition to her own creative work, she is a lecturer in film. DIFF 2015 will see the Asian premiere of her documentary, Wild Women – Gentle Beasts.
Moderator:
Ritu Sarin is the co-director of White Crane Films and has been making films for more than 25 years. Her work includes award-winning documentaries, one dramatic feature film and a number of video installations.