From a period piece set in the time of Partition to a love story in contemporary Punjab; from Assam to Tibet — the Indian film representation at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is not just marked by abundance but diversity across gender, geography, genre, time and themes.
There are three feature films by women filmmakers — Nandita Das’ Manto , Rima Das’ Bulbul Can Sing and Ritu Sarin’s collaborative venture with her husband Tenzing Sonam, The Sweet Requiem . Two shorts are also by women — Jayisha Patel’s Circle and Sandhya Suri’s The Field . There is mainstream Bollywood in the Gala section (Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan ), and an indie-spirited genre film in the Midnight Madness category (Vasan Bala’s Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota ).
In keeping with Canada’s multicultural spirit, the TIFF has always been about cinematic inclusivity and diversity visible in the mammoth programming — well over 340 films this year, of which about 34% are by women filmmakers.
The last in the Golden Triangle of fall festivals — Venice, Telluride and Toronto — TIFF’s gender parity is visible right down to the programming team of 13 women and nine men.
There’s more coming. TIFF’s artistic director and co-head Cameron Bailey will sign a gender parity protocol, also known as 50/50 x 2020, on September 8, just before the festival’s Share Her Journey women’s rally, which will be attended, among others, by actor Geena Davis and filmmaker Amma Asante. TIFF started Share Her Journey, a five-year fundraising campaign, last year for increasing opportunities for women both behind and in front of the camera.
Pick of the lot
The pick of the Indian selection this year has not been in the media eye as widely yet — renowned documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan’s 261-minute long Vivek ( Reason ) that Mr. Bailey describes as perhaps his “most urgent and thorough exploration of Indian society” in which he “charts his country’s slide away from secular democracy and toward divisions of power, caste, and religious belief — and the violence that has followed.”
Reason starts off by recounting the work, struggles, and eventual assassinations of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and activist Govind Pansare. Mr. Patwardhan goes on to probe wide-ranging issues — from Dalit caste protests to terrorism.
“The film denounces, and depicts, violence perpetrated or fuelled by religious nationalists pushing to make India a Hindu state. As Reason builds and expands toward its conclusion, the scale of the dangers India faces becomes clear, and connections are made between the country’s inner conflicts and the similar political fires burning all over the world. Even with countless people of conscience offering resistance, the film ends with yet one more assassination. This time it is a journalist,” writes Mr. Bailey.
(The writer is at Toronto International Film Festival 2018 on an invitation from TIFF.)
