Rooted in the social and political struggles of the women’s liberation movement in the 1970s, this programme of feminist films made between 1985-1991 journeys through the lives of women who challenged traditional patriarchal structures in India. The complexities of women’s invisible labour as reproductive machines, sexual objects, home makers, and keepers of tradition, morality and cultural history are made starkly visible. By highlighting the interconnectedness of the individual and social self, these films offer an encounter with diverse forms of feminisms.

Eyes of Stone
Nilita Vachani, 1990, 90 min, 16mm

Introduced by Shai Heredia  

Shot in the interiors of Rajasthan, India, Eyes of Stone is a film about possession and healing as it documents expressions of faith, ritual and rebellion that thrive within the confines of a stringent patriarchal order. A deep and unsettling exploration of one case of possession becomes an eloquent testimony to the strengths and sadness of women's lives, and the subversions through which they must empower themselves.

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Presented as part of Open City Documentary Festival – The Art of Non-Fiction