Cinema Beyond Stereotypes, this year's theme for Oxfam Best Film On Gender Equality Award 2018 at Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star
- By
- 04 Oct, 2018
Nine films have been shortlisted for this year’s Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award 2018 at Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star.
The films in the reckoning for this year's Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award are powerful dramas, in various Indian languages, that make compelling social commentary on the times we live in.
This year, Oxfam India is challenging filmmakers, producers and artists to create cinema that breaks the stereotypical portrayal of male and female characters in films. The theme for this year’s award is “Cinema Beyond Stereotypes”.
In 2017, Rima Das' Assamese film 'Village Rockstars' won the Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award at MAMI and later bagged the National Award and is now India's official entry to the Oscars.
Director Rima Das will be one of the jury members for this year’s award along with National Award winning actor Parvathy and CEO of the Doha Film Institute Fatima Al Remaihi.
From Marathi film 'Imago' that tells the story of a shy, teenage girl battling leucoderma and the social stigma around it; to 'Hamid' that explores the two sides of the Kashmir conflict through the eyes of an 8-year-old boy; to Kannada film 'Balekempa' that revolves around a couple unable to conceive a child; and Bengali film 'Jonaki' that explores an 80-year-old woman's search for love are on the list.
Making the decision even tougher for the jury are five other strong films ‘Soni’ a Hindi film directed by Ivan Ayr; ‘Jaoon Kahan Bata Ae Dil’ directed by Aadish Keluskar; ‘Light In The Room’ (‘Ottamuri Velicham’) directed by Rahul Riji Nair; Kannada film ‘Nathicharami’ directed by Mansore and ‘Sivaranjani And Two Other Women’, a Tamil film directed by Vasanth S Sai.
Amitabh Behar, CEO of Oxfam India said:
“We are thrilled that this year the number of shortlisted films have increased from four films last year to nine. This is a reflection of the changing times in cinema industry worldwide. Stories that uphold a mirror to socio-political realities in India and that defy stereotypes of caste, class and gender are being made, accepted and appreciated. Women in films are making space to be heard both on and off-screen. The award is to appreciate, celebrate and support stories and people in the industry challenging the status quo. The shortlisted films are in different Indian languages--- Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali and each film has an arresting narrative. It gives us great joy that last year's winner 'Village Rockstars' is this year India’s entry for the Oscars."
The winner of the Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award 2018 at MAMI for this year will be announced on November 1st, 2018 - on the closing night of the festival.
For media queries please contact Media Coordinator, Himanshi Matta, himanshi@oxfamindia.org, 8860182310
Recent News
Oxfam India’s Reaction to Budget 2021-22
03 Feb, 2021
The Inequality Virus—India Supplement 2021
22 Jan, 2021
New Education Policy 2020
01 Aug, 2020
Related Stories
22 Dec, 2022
Koraput, Odisha
Sweet Potato For A Sweet Future
At the recently concluded PARAB 2022 our sweet potato chips (the purple coloured Bhu Krishna variety) were a huge hit. Though one of the dominant crops in the adivasi belt, sweet potato is only now being seen as a crop that will bring higher returns to the small and marginal farmers.
Read More
24 Nov, 2022
Nalanda, Bihar
Cash Boost For Entrepreneurship
Madhuri joined the Producer Group as well as the VDC in March 2021; she was keen to be a part of Project Utthan and explore livelihood opportunities. Through HRDP we made conditional cash transfer of Rs 10,000 in November 2021. She took a store on rent at Rs 550 per month and bought a new electric sewing machine. She hasn’t looked back since.
Read More
23 Nov, 2022
Nalanda, Bihar
Solar Street Lamps Light Up 15 Villages
Livestock theft and the safety of the women(which in turn limited their mobility) was a matter of concern for the villages. Until Oxfam India-HDFC Bank’s Holistic Rural Development Project (HRDP)* initiative stepped in with a creative and sustainable solution. Since 2020, 165 solar lights were installed in the 15 HRDP villages in the Harnaut, Hilsa, and Nagarnausa blocks of Nalanda district. These lights have reduced the dependency on the sporadic electricity supply in the village and reduced its carbon footprint.
Read More
23 Nov, 2022
Nalanda, Bihar
Farmer Field School: A Centre For Learning
When we started setting up Farmer Field School (FFS) under HRDP, Abhay became our lead farmer and his field became a centre for learning. Oxfam India with support from HDFC bank has established 30 such Farmer Field Schools in 15 villages in three blocks in Nalanda District. These Farmer Filed Schools have been developed as centres of learning in these villages. Abhay was supported with various amenities such as green net (used to grow saplings in controlled temperature), mulching, and high yielding seeds. He was given on-field training from agriculture experts; he was also trained and supported to sow using the zero tillage machine.
Read More
