Only God can help women so Norwegian-Turkish filmmaker Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen decides to send a letter to Allah in a balloon in the film,A Balloon for Allah. Lorentzen doesnt asked for much,only a different role for women in the Muslim culture. Does the Almighty respond? Perhaps,for the filmmaker does manage to discover the reason for the oppression. A Balloon for Allah will be screened today at India International Centre as part of the ongoing Asian Womens Film Festival. Organised by the 8th International Association of Women in Radio and Television,the festival with the theme Meditation,Movement and Memories is about women,and more. Its also about journeys,justice,looking at life in a humourous way,making a comment,and sexuality,among others. There is a whole range of films that has to do with the self and society, says Jai Chandiram,director of the festival. In I Am ,queer filmmaker Sonia Gulati fights her demons,resulting from never having come out to her mother. In the film,she returns to her hometown and talks to the parents of those who have come out. Twenty-four women from across Asia have come together to celebrate International Womens Day through films they treat as windows to their souls,exploring the politics of gender,culture and identity. The festival comprises 45 films from 16 countries,apart from panel discussions. Hong Kong-based Melanie Yee Mei Wongs This Pair,for instance,documents her 82-year-old grandmother,who goes through an acute sense of isolation as her family freezes her out from their lives. This film will be screened on March 7. The line-up also includes Afghan director Fatema Hasanis animation film,Hope,about a young Afghan girl. It also includes experimental films like Canadian director Nahed Mansours Measuring ,a four-minute video which has Mansour inserting 28 wooden tongue depressors in her mouth to explore the issues of authenticity,identity and reclamation. The festival is being held at India International Centre and Alliance Francaise till March 7. The schedule is available at www.iawrtindia.blogspot.in
