In 14 years of being part of the advertising world, hairstylist and filmmaker Sapna Moti Bhavnani has worked with just four women filmmakers, a statistic she terms “offensive”. Is there, then, a shortage of women directors? No, she claims. Citing an example of the time she encountered a panel of four male filmmakers known for movies on women empowerment, she shares, “When I asked them why were there no women directors on their ‘manel’, they asked, ‘Where are the female directors?’ It’s not that there are no women filmmakers; it’s just that they are not represented.” Realising the urgent need to create a platform that puts the spotlight on women directors, she launched her own venture, Wench Films, and this Women’s History Month, they are hosting the Wench Film Festival, partnered by mid-day.
Dating back to the 13th century, the term wench refers to a girl child, but over time acquired derogatory and sexual connotations. Bhavnani says the idea is to reclaim the term. “My own ‘wench-ure’ sounded right and the aim is to shift the gaze, and show how an innocent word changed due to patriarchy.”

A still from Sindhustan by Sapna Moti Bhavnani