‘WIF India aims to reshape not just representation, but the very framework of filmmaking'

Time of India

6 days ago

Team WIF at Cannes
This week at Cannes, Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor launched Women in Film India (WIF India), an initiative partnered with Women in Film LA to support and unite women across Indian film, TV, and digital media.The announcement that Guneet would head the India chapter was made last year, but the official debut took place last week at Cannes.
'When I began my journey in film, resources and mentorship were limited, and the path was challenging,' Monga said. 'Women in Film India is the space I wish had existed back then.'
For decades, the unofficial motto for women in Indian film has been - figure it out alone. Now, with WIF India, the plan is to upskill, fund, and mentor women across roles - not just actresses and directors, but producers, crew heads, line managers, screenwriters - the entire ecosystem.
The first big move of WIF India is the Cannes Producers' Scholarship. The inaugural recipients include emerging producer
Tillotama Shome
(one of the producers of Berlinale's Shadowbox), studio executive Rucha Pathak, and independent producer Dimpy Agarwal, who's known for backing socially sharp stories.
'We're building a peer group of women, by women,' Guneet said. 'These global programs exist - but we're making sure they're accessible to Indian women too."
'Independent' doesn't mean alone'
WIF India plans to tackle nuts-and-bolts of filmmaking - skill development, crew management, real-world mentorship. Vani Tripathi Tikoo, producer and board member says that despite of all the progress, being a woman in the Indian film industry still often means navigating boys' club.
Vani says that WIF India is backed by women who've actually navigated their way through the industry.
She adds,"Gender bias is real.
Let's say 20 years ago, there were five women producers. Today, there are 50. But are they known? No."
And she is not wrong. The names are there. But the access, visibility, and networks? Still lacking.
'Collaborations happen in silos,' Tikoo said. ' This is about creating an intentional, collective push to bring women together - not just on paper, but in action. Across states, languages, industries.'
Tilotama Shome says, 'I'm a product of independent cinema, but 'independent' doesn't mean alone.
It means having the freedom to make your film your way. But filmmaking is expensive, and high-risk. But making films is expensive and high risk. Hence, it is very important to have a collective that shares information and insights. Given, that the representation of women in films are so low, the up skilling endeavours of WIF, will play an important role towards equity.
Education is access and it will be key in pushing the needle towards parity."
Vani Tripathi Tikoo says,'In the past eight years, Nicole Kidman has collaborated with 27 female directors across her film and television projects. If our A-listers and leading actresses make it a point to work with women directors every couple of years, it could go a long way in strengthening sisterhood in cinema.'
'It's also about mentorship from people we may not have had access to otherwise'
That sense of shared purpose and a long-overdue support system is what drives producer Dimpy Agarwal as well.
'Women in Film India is about to bring real change to how women are seen not just in front of the camera, but in the very structure of how films are made,' she said. 'It's about learning new and creative ways of producing, directing, and screenwriting. It's about mentorship from people we may not have had access to otherwise. This platform offers that and that's exactly the kind of change we need in today's landscape.'
The days at Cannes are packed from morning to evening with expert guidance from producers, sales agents, festival programmers and distributors: Tillotama Shome
For far too long, there has been a non porous wall between actors and producers, rife with feelings of not understanding each other.
It's high time we worked in healthy collaboration. I was invited into the role of a producer with Baksho Bondi ( Shadowbox) by Tanushree Das and Saunyananda Sahi, that had its world premiere at Berlin this year. The learning curve was steep, but it opened my mind to the various moving pieces that go into putting a film together.
So I feel very fortunate to follow up this rich experience with being a part of Women in Films, India's maiden step, to attend the producers network at Cannes.
The days are packed from morning to evening with expert guidance from producers, sales agents, festival programmers and distributors. I am still reeling with all the information. It also feels amazing to share this journey with two women I admire:Rucha Pathak and Dimpy Agrawal.
WIF India Producer's Network Cannes Scholarship has helped me to raise and push my talents as a Producer on a global level: Rucha Pathak
"WIF India Producer's Network Cannes Scholarship has helped me to raise and push my talents as a Producer on a global level. From leading Creative and Development at big studios like UTV & UTV Spotboy; from my stint as Chief Creative Officer at Fox Star Studios; and Producing movies at Excel Entertainment — I am now exploring films as a Producer on a global level.
As the world comes closer in a post-pandemic era we can tell local stories that can go global.
I feel we are now perfectly poised to craft high-impact cinema that pushes creative boundaries and I want to create cinema that's exemplary in terms of being Indian but also going international."
We've been going to a lot of other Women in Film chapters and everyone and it's and it's it's actually great to see that everyone's kind of facing similar issues: Dimpy Agarwal
"This launch actually feels amazing and it feels like there's a support system for you and it's not a lonely journey because sometimes as women producers, it can tend to get lonely, but there is a support group, people that we can go to with like Rucha, Tillotama, Guneet Rabya, all of us being in the same room, sharing knowledge.
We've been going to a lot of other Women in Film chapters and everyone and it's and it's it's actually great to see that everyone's kind of facing similar issues, similar things and how everyone's so supportive of each other and, you know, really helping everyone out, each other out in either setting up meetings for us or introducing someone that we are looking for for our projects.
And the entire experience has been very informative about learning about different pre-production systems, learning about different producers, what their wins are, what their losses are."
What's Women in Films India About?
Women in Films India already had its first board meeting. Vani Tripathi Tikoo, board member, says,'Right before Cannes, we had a meeting where it was decided that we'd launch during the festival. As part of Women in Films India, there will be mentorship programs, collaborative events, and consistent community-building. If I had to sum up the objective in four points:
-Women in Films India is more than a platform — it's here to make change.
-It will unite film, TV, and digital media under one umbrella.
-It will create scholarships and initiatives so women can be heard, seen, celebrated.
- It's a one-stop space for women in film to come together and collaborate.'
-In addition to the three main fellows, WIF India has awarded a special accreditation grant to Shefali Bhushan, an outstanding woman producer from the Marathi-language film industry, further expanding the organization's support for regional voices.
Who can join?
Vani says,"The platform's launched. Anyone can join. Yes, there will be some filtering - but it's not gatekeeping. It's to ensure that a real community is being built. One that's language-agnostic, medium-agnostic. Whether you're making documentaries, shorts, OTT shows, web content, feature films - you're in.
The board of directors which also includes Karan Johar and Nikkhil Advani will be responsible for policy, but more than that for creating opportunities and for mentoring."
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