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Offbeat documentaries
Leena Manimekalai
THE CREATOR of two offbeat documentary films is back in the city with fresh recognition. Producer-Director Leena Manimekalai's `Mathamma' and `Parai' were screened recently at the Women in Director's Chair, an international Film and Video Festival, held in Chicago, USA.
The first one, a 20-minute documentary, talks about the tradition of offering girl children to a deity by Arundhati community living in Mangattucheri village near Arakkonam.
The other documentary `Para' talks about a simmering feud between two communities at a village in Cuddalore district. It depicted the way Dalit community members had to face varied forms of exploitation — physical, mental, labour besides assaults.
The 45-minute documentary explained how even after 56 years of self-rule and independence, the Dalits were suppressed and oppressed in the name of caste.
Apart from the festival, her documentaries were also screened in various parts of the U.S., which included Chicago Tamil Sangam, Midwest Tamil Sangam, New Jersey Bharathi Society, New York Tamil Sangam, Washington Tamil Sangam and Columbia University.
Ms. Manimekalai says `Mathamma' was made adopting the technique of `visual ethnography' (a documentary making style to tell stories and explore culture and people).
During her visit, apart from screening her works, Ms. Manimekalai also presented two papers - on cultural, technical and ethical issues in ethnographic filmmaking and on "women in developing countries."
"It was an occasion to see radical, off-stream and experimental films made by women from different countries. Women film-makers from various parts of the world meet at the festival to share ideas ... it also helps to create a forum to share the experiences," Manimekalai notes.
By Oppili P
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