Film phase:Production
SYNOPSIS
Fusing forms of verite documentary and narrative cinema, Newborns is a glimpse into the lives of women coping with the aftermath of acid violence in India. In a pointed endeavour to include the survivors in the telling of their own stories, the film weaves through poetic vignettes, written and performed by the survivors themselves, against the backdrop of their personal spaces – both domestic and public, real and imagined. This is their song – speaking of their pain, yet cadenced with hope.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Megha Ramaswamy is a screenwriter, director and producer based in Mumbai. Her hybrid short documentary, Newborns, premiered at TIFF’14 and was reviewed as the Best Film of Programme Four. It takes a close, discomfiting look at the lives of survivors of acid attack violence. Newborns has since travelled to numerous festivals like Clermont Ferrand, Films de Femmes, Byron Bay, Flicker Fest, Cinequest, Filmmor, and Human Rights Film Festival, Paris, winning awards and top honors for its powerful storytelling and innovative technique. Megha has also been a beneficiary of the prestigious Chicken & Egg Pictures in collaboration with Indian Documentary Foundation for the film and for her work with the support group Stop Acid Attacks.