BHUBANESWAR: Oxfam India, Bhubaneswar organised the screening of award-winning movie ‘Soni’, which is directed by Ivan Ayer, at IDCOL auditorium here Saturday.
The movie which was distributed by Netflix explores the lives of two female policewomen and how they react to the rise of sexual violence. It premiered in the Orrizonti (Horizons) section of the 75 Venice International Film Festival receiving a standing ovation. The film won the Facebook Award for Best ‘Work-In-Progress’ project. Ayr received a special mention for ‘Achievement in Directing’ for the film at the 2018 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
The film is an attempt to understand the rage of policewomen against the sexual violence in the capital of the country while at same time being saddled with the responsibility to enforce and uphold the law. It also received the Oxfam Best Film on gender equality award 2018.
Lead actress Geetika Vidya said, “A man should nurture the feminine aspect of himself and a woman should nourish the masculine side of herself. I would like police personnel of the city to watch the movie. Director Ivan Ayr said, “The assumption is that if they are female cops, they will be in a position of power, they won’t be susceptible to crimes that woman face every day.”
The objective of screening the movie was to show that there is ample scope in films to uphold gender equality and discuss about equal rights and opportunities for both men and women. A panel discussion on ‘women in cinema’ was also held on the occasion.