Has politics found its way into film?

The press meet at the P. K. Nair Pavilion, in the Tagore Theatre premises became a platform to discuss about government and political parties, on a strange turn of events. Malayali filmmaker Vidhu Vincent, Director Saji Palamel Sreedharan, Architect and Turkish film Director Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Prasad (an actor from the film ‘Manhole’), Director Shanavas Bavakutty, Sheeja K. Madhavan took part in this press meet, sharing their views about communism and political parties too.    

Nevertheless, this press meet became a platform of discussion about position of women in society. Vidhu Vincent gave her views on this topic. Yeşim Ustaoğlu on being asked to show some light on the conditions of women present in the film industry in Turkey, she said “Turkish cinema, last year celebrated its hundredth year….. It’s quite old cinema and there were some active women filmmakers in the past also. A couple of them were really active and there were of course, very interesting actresses in the industry, but I think, still, women became more powerful during the generation that I was involved in cinema.” In the Turkish film world women find lesser place says the Turkish director Yesim Ustaoglu. She then said “In the 90’s I was involved and started to make my own films and the male directors of my generation, we created a kind-of new wave, which was important. I am the one who is playing the most important role in the film industry for a while but, I can see that from now on of course, there is a very important generation that’s coming, the young generation”.

Ustaoğlu also said that her movie ‘Clair Obscur’ talked mainly about the lives underage girls in Turkey, who get married to men they don’t know and feel no love later on, not even feeling loved by their families. Her movie deals with the lives of two women who are deprived of and distanced from their natural right to mature and discover themselves, to love and be loved, and to sustain a real relationship of their choosing.