In VELVET REVOLUTION, six women directors take their lens up-close to Women Making News. In a world riven with conflict and dictatorial regimes, where journalists are constantly under threat from both, state and non – state actors, what drives these women journalists to do their jobs?
This doc brings you the testimonies of women journalists from Bangladesh, Cameroon, India , Philippines, Afghanistan, Syria, United Kingdom and Ajerbaijan on how they spoke truth to power.
“I did not want to be a war correspondent… but the war came to my door-step” says award winning Syrian journalist, Zaina Erhaim, now living in exile in southern Turkey.
“The President is wrong when he says that journalists are being killed because they are corrupt- who corrupts whom… who holds the power to corrupt?” asks Kimberlie Ngabit Quitasol, a young woman journalist from Philippines.
“I could not leave my co-warriors in the middle of the battlefield” says Bonya Ahmed, the wife of slain Bangladesh blogger, Avijit Roy and the Editor of Muktomona, in her first ever documentary interview.
A 57 minute Film, Velvet Revolution is the 2016-7 IAWRT (International Association of Women in Radio & Television) long documentary project. In this exciting collaborative film six women journalists and directors take their lens up close to women making news in a world riven with conflict and dictatorial regimes. When journalists are constantly under threat, what drives these women to do their jobs?
Velvet Revolution is an unique collaborative venture supported by IAWRT where the Executive Producer, Nupur Basu (pictured below) worked with women directors from four countries who produced films in five countries. They are Illang Illang Quijano – Philippines; Deepika Sharma – India; Pochi Tamba Nsoh and Sidonie Pongmoni – Cameroon and Eva Brownstein – USA / Bangladesh.
“The title is based on a suggestive metaphor of something being strong and deep but making impact in a quiet way …just as the women journalists featured in the documentary do” says the Executive Producer and Project Director, Nupur Basu.
This post is also available in — FR — .
