A small film crew enters the ladies compartments of the local trains in Mumbai. Chance encounters and acquaintances are invited to reveal their opinions, their confessions and their stories in a ‘public’ space. Their diverse answers thread themselves into an unfolding tapestry of details and observations. The light on the faces, the figures in the background, the driving noises of the train and the interaction of the travelers bring the space alive. Black and white images distill the essence of the space but keep us focused on the essentials: the women’s narrative. A poetic rhythm takes us across Mumbai and its mix of cultures, languages and faces, providing insight into how urban Indian women see and shape their lives. A feminist lens explores what ambitions and freedoms mean for women in a hyper-industrial, wealth-driven and complex world. LADIES ONLY ( 79 mins, B&W ) was produced by Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln & Film und Medien Stiftung NRW.
The film was invited to have its World Premiere at 부산국제영화 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) 2021 as part of the Documentary Wide Angle selection. The film was further nominated for the BIFF Mecenat Award, 2021.
The jury wrote, ‘The film is a beautiful work that harmonizes the confident voices of women with poetic cinematography.’
LADIES ONLY was invited to have its European Premiere at the 72nd Berlinale ( Berlin International Film Festival ) as part of the Perspektive Deutsches Kino selection. The film won the Compass-Perspektive Award at the 72nd Berlinale and won 3 more awards at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, at the Nepal Cultural International Film Festival, Kathmandu and at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival, Mumbai.
CRITICAL REVIEWS + PRESS
MEDITATIVE RHYTHM The 80-minute documentary has its qualities less in the content than in the way it is made. Luminous black-and-white images capture the mood of travel: curious faces, streets flying by, fatigue, stress, but also the hustle and bustle of flying merchants hawking their accessories on mobile hangers. Often the shots say more than words. The meditative rhythm of the montage offers space for the audience’s own associations and opens up the Indian peculiarities for more universal points of reference. Time and again, for example, the women express how strenuous life has become due to hypercapitalist pressure to perform – how damaging the rule of money is to private life, relationships and mental health.
‘.. In a similar vein to vox-popping films like Pasolini’s ‘Love Meetings’ or Ju Anqi’s ‘There’s A Strong Wind InBeijing‘. ’
Eye for Film, UK
‘Various women, including a housewife, a punk girl, a weightlifter, and a college student, unravel their thoughts on their dreams and freedom. As the voices of urban Indian women vividly come alive in this black-and-white film, light and shadow, noises and movements, breezes and landscape made by the speedily moving train combine with everchanging faces, creating unexpected cinematic moments that almost seem to have been directed.’
KANG Sowon I Head Programmer Busan International Film Festival
‘Mumbai trains have a separate carriage marked “Ladies Only”, where only women can travel. The reason for ‘Ladies Only’ is not mentioned, but one would think it is probably due to security considerations. Women can feel and express themselves more freely there, as they are willing to talk very openly about their lives and the role of women in Indian society in front of the camera. The picture that emerges is, on the one hand, predictably desolate, but on the other hand, it is very empowering through the speakers. As Westerners, we may have our own idea of what an Indian woman is or should be, but Women’s Wagon certainly creates a much more diverse picture. One would never have thought that a black and white kaleidoscope could have so many colours.
The film was awarded the Compass-Perspektive prize at the last Berlin Film Festival and, in the words of the jury, “it takes courage to tell a story in such a refined way, to look deeper and make a socially relevant film about everyday life”.’
Tristan Priimägi I Film Critic Head of Programming DOCPOINT Helsinki & Talinn
‘Ladies Only’ is the perfect antidote to the countless British documentaries about India shown in the UK — films that may appear to be poorly researched and often reinforce stereotypes about the country with its unrelenting focus on the poor.’’
Beverly Andrews FORM-Idea UK
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
Winner | Compass-Perspektive-Award Berlinale / Berlin International Film Festival 2022 | GERMANY
Winner | Second Best Long Documentary Award
International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala 2022 | INDIA
Winner | Best Women’s Film Award
Nepal Cultural International Film Festival, Kathmandu 2023 I NEPAL
Winner | Best Documentary
Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival, Mumbai 2023 I INDIA
Nomination | BIFF Mecenat Award Busan International Film Festival 2021 | SOUTH KOREA
Nomination | Teddy Award Berlinale / Berlin International Film Festival 2022 | GERMANY
Nomination | First Steps Award First Steps –Der Deutsche Nachwuchspreis | GERMANY
Nomination | Best International Documentary
Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | AUSTRALIA
Nomination | Best International Documentary Feature Film
Budapest Independent Film Festival 2023 I HUNGARY
Nomination | DocPoint YLE Award
DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival 2023 I FINLAND
DocPoint – Talinn Documentary Film Festival 2023 I ESTONIA
Nomination | A38- Production Grant Kassel-Halle
Kasseler Dokfest 2022 I GERMANY
OFFICIAL SELECTION & SCREENING
부산국제영화 Busan International Film Festival | SOUTH KOREA 72nd Berlinale Filmfestspiele / Berlin International Film Festival | GERMANY
Film Museum, Potsdam | GERMANY
JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival / India Gold Selection | INDIA
15th John Abraham National Awards, Kerala | INDIA
FemFilm, Oslo | NORWAY
Sheffield International Documentary Festival | UK London Indian Film Festival | UK
Birmingham Indian Film Festival | UK
Manchester Indian Film Festival | UK
International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala | INDIA
Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | AUSTRALIA Indo German Film Week | GERMANY Das Fünf Seen Film Festival | GERMANY Filmtage Globale Perspektiven | GERMANY Asian Film Festival Barcelona | SPAIN Kasseler Dokfest | GERMANY Nepal Cultural International Film Festival, Kathmandu | NEPAL
DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival | FINLAND
DocPoint Talinn Documentary Film Festival | ESTONIA Stranger than Fiction Documentary Film Festival | GERMANY
Vikalp, Mumbai | INDIA Bangalore International Centre | INDIA Urban Lens Film Festival, Bangalore | INDIA
Women’s International Film Festival, Kerala | INDIA
Ethnocineca – International Documentary Film Festival Vienna | AUSTRIA
Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore | INDIA
Channel 4 | UK
Architecture Film Festival, Rotterdam | NETHERLANDS
Centre for Modern Indian Studies | GERMANY
Beyond Borders Feminist Film Festival, New Delhi | INDIA
