Sensitising youth on gender through films

Hindustan Times

17-05-2025

The Netflix series Adolescence sparked a debate on toxic masculinity, demonstrating the power of online platforms, TV and film in shaping society. A film festival is similarly triggering debate across India — six editions of the Travelling International Film Festival, called SamaBhav, which is organised by Men Against Abuse and Violence (MAVA), have been held in 52 cities and 22 rural districts, reaching 18,000+ youth through educational institutions and civil society organisations.
The festival comprises selected national and international films that cover a wide gamut of gender and human rights issues, including various forms of gender-based discrimination/violence, patriarchy, misogyny, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and redefining masculinity.
The post-screening discussions enable young audiences to debate and reflect on their biases, societal prejudices and regressive attitudes around gender, advocating for a pluralistic, inclusive society. The festival has also gone to Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia and Bhutan.
''Seven years ago, as an experiment I planned and organised a two-day film festival at SNDT Women's University in Mumbai. Hundreds of students affiliated to SNDT actively participated and the venue was full. That motivated me to organise this as an annual travelling film festival and activists such as Kamla Bhasin encouraged us to take the festival to our neigbouring countries,' says Harish Sadani, cofounder of MAVA and the founder-director of SamaBhav.
The carefully curated films have been stirring vital conversations among youth. Many viewers in 2-tier and 3-tier cities have been expressing how the film festival has been an eye-opening, immersive experience for them that provided fresh insights and perspectives on contemporary gender matters, which normally are not deliberated upon in institutional settings.
A significant number of educational institutes have been inviting the MAVA team for stand-alone film festivals that are hosted in their respective districts with the pro-active involvement of student leaders. A few corporates have also arranged screenings of SamaBhav for their employees as part of their Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) initiatives. UNICEF supported MAVA's effort in engaging 260 plus school teachers of Osmanabad district in Maharashtra over SamaBhav film screenings and dialogue.
Akshat Sharma, a first-year law student at KES JP Law College, Mumbai says, 'The Travelling Film Festival left me speechless. It challenged stereotypes and social norms, pushing us to confront the harsh realities of our society. The films were more than just stories — they were reflections of our collective conscience. Women of My Billion was one such film that hit me hard, featuring real women sharing their raw, unfiltered stories, their voices trembling with emotion. It was like I was witnessing their struggles firsthand. I wasn't the only one; the entire room was silent, everyone's eyes welling up with tears. Each film tackled a different social issue, speaking to someone in the audience on a deeply personal level. It was like the stories on screen were echoing our own experiences, making us confront our realities and bringing a sense of empathy and understanding.''
These films are a way youth can connect over common patterns of gender-related issues that we find in India and the neighbouring regions. What they need is a safe and non-threatening platform to discuss their fears and concerns and listen to different and fresh perspectives. Through the travelling film festival post-screening, a sizeable number of youth across India were able to express and exchange their innermost thoughts, perspectives and differences. What has been heartening is that young men seem more amenable to listening to their women counterparts whether in colleges or workplaces. It has also provided a space for non-binary youth to find a safe open space to discuss their vulnerabilities and concerns.
Dr Arjun PC from Palakkad Medical College who took the initiative to organise the festival on his campus says, 'More than just a film screening event, SamaBhav created space for meaningful conversations on gender-based violence, discrimination, equality, equity, and queer rights through powerful films. A notable film was Kaathal, starring Mammootty which left a strong emotional impact on the audience. It addressed issues such as internalised homophobia, masculinity, and the family dynamics of a closeted and later openly queer person. These films have certainly left a lasting impression on the hearts of budding medicos. Medical colleges, like many other institutions, still carry traces of homophobic and transphobic attitudes. Within that cultural fabric, these films provided a powerful counter-narrative, sparking vital conversations among students and faculty alike.''
This sort of effort needs to be scaled up and SamaBhav plans to deepen its impact through its forthcoming 7th edition by travelling to 18 new cities and rural districts. At a time when social media is throwing up new challenges as we saw in Adolescence, a festival which promotes a critical dialogue among the wider youth population is invaluable and enables them to look at contemporary gender issues through an intersectional lens.
The views expressed are personal
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