The New Nation - Internet Edition

V Radhika

Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair, Jane Campion and Lynne Ramsay have shown that women make great films, the kind that cut across cultural boundaries and create box-office records. And, going by the number of women filmmakers who presented their works at the recent Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), it seems that many more are now staking their claim behind the camera. Seventeen years ago, with the film, 'Sam and Me,' Deepa Mehta launched her career from TIIF's grand platform. Her latest offering, 'Heaven on Earth,' starring Bollywood star Preity Zinta, opened to a good response this year. In an interview she went on record to say that TIFF 'nurtures' emerging filmmakers, and is the perfect place to launch a film because all the distributors are present here. Obviously, there are many who agree with Mehta's point of view. Out of the total tally of 249 full-length features that screened between September 4 to 13, 45 had women calling the shots and five of them opened to gala screenings. Australian Meagan Doneman presented her engaging documentary, 'Yes Madam, Sir,' on India's first woman IPS officer, Kiran Bedi. After spending close to eight years on the project - saving enough money from her day jobs to undertake trips to India for race and shooting - the docu-feature opened to full crowds at the festival.

Doneman says her fascination with Bedi began as a 13-year-old when she first read about the police officer's endeavours in prison reform at Tihar jail, Delhi. She acquired a degree in Business Communication, with a specialisation in film, and then worked as an editor for both big and small budget films. In 1999, she finally got to meet Bedi, after several attempts at contacting the busy officer. When she floated the idea of a documentary to Bedi, to Doneman's surprise and delight, she agreed. And 'Yes Madam, Sir' was the result.

Bedi said her decision (to go with Doneman) was instinctive and also fuelled by the belief that the filmmaker was honest. The documentary is engaging and, to the filmmaker's credit, it is not an exercise in sycophancy. Although it highlights Bedi's professional achievements, there's space for some criticism as well. It is also perhaps for the first time that Bedi's daughter, Saina, has appeared before the camera, as the film captures the complex mother-daughter relationship. Apart from the hardships she endured as a western woman filming in India, Doneman says she struggled a great deal to raise finances for the movie. But as the film made it to TIFF, there is a sense of deja vu. "I sensed a great story and felt that should be told," she said.

In terms of percentages of films by women, Festival's Co-director Cameron Bailey revealed, "It is about 30 per cent of the overall selection." And this year, Canada contributed a big share of the numbers. Apart from high-profile directors like Mehta, whose gritty portrayal of an immigrant bride in 'Heaven on Earth', screened as a special presentation, there was Kari Skogland's thriller, 'Fifty Dead Men Walking'. Ingrid Veninger's coming-of-age 'Only' and Marie-Helene Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu's 'Inuit tale Before Tomorrow', were the other features that generated a buzz.

Courtesy: NewsNetwork||WFS