FEMINIST FAIRY TALES

Jacaranda Tales, a four-day film festival in Bengaluru, ignited conversations on women’s role in protecting nature

- PRATHIMA NANDAKUMAR

The best days of my life were those 14 days in jail,” exclaims Sudesha Devi, the protagonist of Deepa Dhanraj’s documentary, Sudesha (1983). A peasant woman from a nondescript village in the foothills of the Himalayas, Devi was one of the leaders of the famed Chipko Movement for forest conservation. And she perceived her imprisonment as a refreshing break from the domestic drudgery and the traditional roles dictated by a society steeped in patriarchy. The film, which portrayed how women became the driving force of one of the first environmental movements from the Third World, set the tone for Jacaranda Tales—a four-day film festival on women and nature held recently in Bengaluru.

Organised by the Bangalore Film Society (BFS), the festival showcased a unique list of both Indian and international woman-centric films. “If you look closely, women have [always] been in the forefront of protecting the environment,” says Jahnavi Pai of BFS. “But her courage and leadership role are often side-lined. The festival is an attempt to make these women visible.”

Jacaranda Tales brought together filmmakers, feminist writers, activists, conservationists, and public policy experts to initiate conversations. “The discussions on documentary films as a community and as part of a collective are crucial to facilitate action,” says Manasi Pingle, filmmaker and member of Bengaluru Sustainability Forum. “The festival brings forth different facets of women’s relationships with the environment, and the films communicate cutting across cultural and language barriers.”