A day after MiD DAY expose on Women's Film Fest in Delhi, Brit filmmaker shares her horror story with MiDDAY
A day after MiD DAY expose on Women's Film Fest in Delhi, Brit filmmaker shares her horror story with MiDDAY
Skeletons keep tumbling out of the fifth edition of the India International Women's Film Festival (IIWFF). A day
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after MiD DAY broke the story that Bhaskar Deb, one of the organisers of the festival and the husband of Shyamali Banerjee, the festival director, harassed female filmmakers at the festival, a fresh charge has been levied by Lipika Pelham, a Brit director based in Israel.
"I came to know of the festival from my agent. He told me Jane Campion would also be there. I have always been a fan of Campion and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to meet her in person. I got to know that the wife of the Indian Vice-President would also attend the festival," Lipika said.
Lipika let the organisers know she would be attending the festival.
"I landed at Delhi airport at six in the morning on December 15, expecting to be received at the airport. There was no one. This was surprising as I had informed the organisers of my arrival time. I waited for two hours at the airport and then took a taxi to the hotel where I was supposed to stay. On the way, I sent a text message to Shyamali as I didn't want to wake her up that early in the morning. She never replied."
Lipika reached Hotel Ambience at Panchsheel and asked the receptionist to call the festival organisers. "Bhaskar took my call and asked me to get ready. He said a taxi will come to pick me up. It was then that I saw Jane Campion at the hotel."
When she introduced herself to Campion, Lipika got to know that the Oscar winner had faced the same ordeal. Jane told her there would be no opening ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan as announced, and that the festival was a sham. Jane's friends, who had come down from Jaipur for the ceremony, were appalled that it had been cancelled at such a short notice. "At 6 pm, Shyamali came with another guy to our hotel and invited us for a cocktail party."
It was at the party that Lipika witnessed the worst.
A very drunk Bhaskar allegedly came up to the female directors and made lewd gestures. "He got up from his seat, came towards me and tried to hug me and kiss me on the cheek. He also put his hand on a Turkish director's back. We somehow managed to move away. But he just wouldn't let us be and tried to persuade us to have a drink with him."
| The Other Side |
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When MiD DAY broke the story on February 22, Bhaskar Deb had said all allegations against him were false and that he was being framed. His wife Shyamali Banerjee said she was with her husband throughout the festival and nothing of this sort happened. |
In separate complaints to Saugata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development, Government of India, the I&B Ministry and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, (copies of which are with MiD DAY) Jane Campion, Lipika Pelham and Ayesha Arif Khan have recounted the horror they faced at the festival.
"I wonder what they are doing with our complaint. We will launch a campaign against Bhaskar Deb and Shyamali Banerjee and their accomplices. This guy (Bhaskar) needs serious help," Lipika said.
Talking to MiD DAY, Ayesha Arif Khan said she had been to film festivals across the world but had never witnessed such sham. "There was no film festival at all," she said.
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