Image courtesy of Rubaiyat Hossain
Created by a group of women seeking increased visibility for female filmmakers, the Berlin Feminist Film Week will celebrate its second year from 8 to 14 March. Serving as a platform that promotes an all-inclusive perspective, the festival will host a selection of films that tackle a variety of important topics including the body positivity movement, the challenges for women who code and the world of queer people of colour.
Included in the programme is “Under Construction,” the second feature-length film by Bangladesh filmmaker Rubaiyat Hossain. Starring Shashana Goswani, the movie aims to relate the formation of Bengali modernity with female sexuality through a contemporary rendition of “The Red Oleanders” by Rabindranath Tagore. By the film’s end, Goswani is able to reclaim a personal sense of agency.
Hossain poses a valid question in her film, pondering: “In claiming her body, mind and soul, how does a woman’s introspective journey get entangled with a world of post-colonial reality? A world where political violence, religious extremism, sweatshop labours and impunity largely paint the terrain?”
Both Hossain and Goswani will be available for discussion at the premiere, inviting viewers to confront this and other questions.
Watch the trailer below
The Berlin Feminist Film Week runs from 8 through 14 March 2016