To mark International Women’s Day, the Nehru Centre and PAWA (Pan Asian Women’s Association) will host a panel discussion on ‘Women in Film: Challenges and opportunities behind the camera’. The percentage of women directors is still abysmally low – less than 10% globally, and even lower in Asia. This panel will feature filmmakers from Asian countries who will explore the dynamics behind this statistic. They will speak of their own inspirations, the biases and constraints they face in the industry, and what needs to be done to foster gender parity and better the odds of success for women. We will also be viewing short clips of their work
The discussion will be followed by a Q & A.
Sangeeta Datta is a well-known writer/director, independent filmmaker and cultural commentator. Her critically acclaimed work includes the feature film Life Goes on and the stage productions The Dying Song and Gitanjali 100. She has published widely and is the Director of Baithak UK, a non-profit company that celebrates and promotes South Asian arts.
Taiwanese director Jenny Lu wrote and directed The Man who walked on the Moon, which won the Best Fantasy Award at the Amsterdam International Film Festival 2015. She received the Best Screenplay Award in Taiwan for her feature film The Receptionist, which also won the Best Film Award at the Sochi International Film Festival.