WCC is a group comprising of female members of Mollywood.
Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) on Saturday held a press conference at Ernakulam press club in Kochi, Kerala. WCC is a group comprising of female members of the Malayalam film industry. The goal of WCC is to create a positive atmosphere for the women members of the film fraternity and address gender-related issues.
Earlier today, WCC announced the press conference on their Facebook page, saying, “WCC will be holding a press conference this evening 4pm at Ernakulam press club. We cordially invite all our media fraternity to be a part of this event. The event will be live streamed on Facebook. Thank you! Disclaimer: Press conference restricted for members of media!”
In a week or two we will take the next steps, says Women in Cinema Collective.
Press meet ends.
WCC’s social media manager gets emotional recalling the amount of abuses the members face on Facebook. 'I feel verbally raped 100 times every day, " she says.
A small-time actor and a member of the WCC says she filed a complaint with Film Employees Federation of Kerala about an uncomfortable experience she faced when working in Mammootty starrer Pullikkaran Staraa. The accused was a production controller, but no action was taken against him. While I am still struggling to find jobs, he is thriving, says the woman.
In Bollywood, Aamir Khan drops out of a film because the director was accused of sexual harassment. Akshay Kumar did the same with Houseful 4. MAMI cancelled screening of movies of the accused. But only in Malayalam, the filmmakers announce movies with the accused, says Rima Kallingal.
Since its inception, the WCC is being seen as a threat by other film bodies in the industry. We wrote to all organisations for the cooperation to address all issues of women and make it a better work space but none of them responded to us, says Bina Paul.
Padmapriya says the EC flouted all the rules of the AMMA to accommodate Dileep.
We lost the faith in the leadership of AMMA. But we still have faith in AMMA as an organisation, says Parvathy.
We want to expose that the industry is not a big happy family that you are led to believe, says Parvathy.
We are not resigning, and we are not doing MeToo just now. This press meet is just the beginning, says Bina Paul.
We are not here to shame the industry. Yes, we are aware of many stories which will come out soon. It's not a threat. But we are here to stand by the survivor, who has lost her livelihood, says Bina Paul.
We are here to fight. And it's just a beginning, says Remya Nambeesan, explaining why she quit AMMA.
The survivor showed courage. And what are we giving her in return, says Revathy.
It's about time we bring about a change. I have a daughter. She may also join the industry. I have children of my friends working here already. I want to make the industry a safe place for everyone, says Revathy.
In the recent letter, we were told if the survivor and three other women actors want to rejoin the AMMA, they should send in an application and the EC will send it to the general body for consideration, recalls Revathy.
At emergency meeting, we were made to feel that an historic result will be made today. We even took suggestion from Vrinda Grover. But they kept procrastinating. We trusted them. I think it was just a cover up to stop us from talking to public or media, says Parvathy.
We feel disrespected, insulted and angry, says Parvathy.
This is a joke. There is deep misogyny. Who are they trying to fool?, says Padmapriya.
The accused is not suspended or has not resigned. The survivor has resigned but the AMMA invokes bylaws when asked if they will reinstate her, says Padmapriya.
AMMA not just taking the side of the accused, it is also victim shamming, says Padmapriya
AMMA hiding behind the bylaws. They are trying to protect the accused, says Padmapriya.