A Film by Farha Khatun
Duration: 52 min 50 sec, 2020, Urdu with English Subtitles
Safia, a deeply religious Muslim woman from Bhopal in Central India, driven by her belief that because of the patriarchal mindset of the interpreters of ‘Sharia’, Muslim women are denied equality and justice in the community. She joins a program that trains women as Qazis, (Muslim clerics who interpret and administer the personal law), which is traditionally a male preserve. The film documents her journey as she struggles and negotiates through hitherto uncharted territory, exploring the tensions that arise when women try to change the status quo and take control of narratives that so deeply affect their lives. Through Safia ‘Apa’ or elder sister as she is called, several other women join the program; through their lived experiences, the film comments on the arbitrariness of the instant ‘triple talaq’ practice (Instant divorce by saying Talaq thrice). These and other landmark moments, political and legal, find reference in the film as does the changing socio-political scenario that impact their lives.
In its four years journey, the film also documents the movement against triple talaq, Muslim women’s struggles to break free of patronising voices within the community as well as resist forces outside from appropriating their movement to suit their own political agenda.
International Premiere: 54th HOF International Film Festival, Germany
Farha Khatun
After having completed a 2-year Postgraduate Diploma in Editing from Roopkala Kendro, Farha has edited several documentary films, short fiction and also worked on feature films. Farha’s directorial debut film 'I am Bonnie', on the tragedies, aspirations and achievements of a transgender footballer, had the world premiere at BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival, got the National Award for best film on social issues, awarded the Best Documentary at Kolkata International Film Festival and screened at many other international festivals. Her first feature length film ‘Holy Rights’ on Safia who joins a program for training women as Qazis (judges of Sharia court) followed by the lived experience of several women who fight against the instant triple talaq practice (Divorce by saying Talaq thrice) – is travelling to many national and International festivals. She has also been a mentor in several filmmaking workshops to teach women about the impact of audiovisual medium, especially documentaries, in rural areas of India, to equip them to voice their concerns and thoughts.
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