About the Project

Media is an important institution in the promotion of Gender Equality (Sustainable Development Goal 5). Gender representation both in terms of how men, women and genderqueer are depicted in cinema as well as in terms of the numbers that are present, visible, and have a voice in various professions related to filmmaking is crucial in promoting gender equality in the media.

It is against this backdrop, the School of Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai (SMCS-TISS) through a grant from the US Consulate in Mumbai has carried out a study titled: Lights, Camera, and Time for Action: Recasting Gender Equality Compliant Hindi Cinema.

The project covered the following activities:

Research

Given the broader context of political debates and changes in public policies in the period 2012-19, the study examined the influence of these on Hindi films in terms of (1) gender representation on screen on 15 parameters (2) women’s participation in filmmaking processes by enumerating the end credits and further (3) women’s representation in significant bodies/associations of films through primary and secondary data sources. An in-depth, shot-by-shot analysis has covered 25 high revenue-grossing Hindi films of the year 2019, as well as 10 films made by women/gender-fluid individuals and/or with a focus on women (between 2012-19). Three qualitative studies examined the experiences of women and queer Directors and Screenwriters, and the perspectives of young online film critics in engaging with the content of films.

Further information is given in Research

Student Films

The students of the SMCS batch of 2023 made four Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and three short documentaries through a process of Faculty mentoring as part of the coursework at the School. The PSAs have been shown in many of the project-related events in various Film Festivals.

Further information is given in Student Films

Youth Engagement

The project team carried out workshops and seminars with young filmmakers, journalism, cultural studies and gender studies’ students to engage with ideas of gender equality in representation in films.

Information on Frames of Reference (student’s seminar) (Coming Soon)

Participation in Film Festivals

Between July 2022 – June 2023, the project outputs have been presented at the International Film Project (IFP) 2022, Mumbai; at the International Advertising Association of India conference, 2022, Mumbai; International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2022, Goa; Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), 2023, Pune; Pune International Film Festival (PIFF), 2023, Pune; IAWRT Film Festival 2023, New Delhi; Cinema Collective, 2023 and at the SamaBhav Travelling Film Festival, 2023 across several cities in India. The films are also travelling to a few South Asian countries where the festival is going to be held.

Information on Festival participation (Coming Soon)