Nasrin: Championing the women's cause
Kavita Charanji
The women's cause is dear to Nasrin Siraj Annie, a talented freelance filmmaker. "Women have to balance their role as professionals with the demands of domesticity. Some women quit their jobs to take care of their children. The child drives you; you don't drive the child. He or she controls your life. For women who are independent and want to work or want to achieve something it is really difficult. This is my subjective view," says Nasrin. Nasrin has based her latest documentary, Motherhood--A Woman's Perspective, on women's own experiences and feelings about motherhood. "The film looks at women not just as bearers of children but as independent entities," maintains Nasrin, who has done the research, script and direction for the film. Produced by the NGO Steps for Development, the film is likely to be premiered on BTV in June. The organisation will also disseminate the film through their mobile film showing team in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Nasrin has been busy on other fronts. Among her major works are: A documentary on sex education. She wrote the script for the film, which was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). A TV spot on HIV/ AIDS. Nasrin did the research, script writing and assisted the director. She also worked as a scriptwriter and researcher for CARE's documentaries on their sanitation programme. Performance in two feature films --Itihash Kanya and Shila Lipi. On Ekushey Television, she used to produce a children's programme called Shapnapuri for pre-school children. There was also an ambitious programme on this channel, called Deshjure, of which she was the anchor and also assistant producer. Deshjure won the Meril-Prothom Alo Award in 2002. The Deshjure team used to travel around the districts to collect news and features on the lives of people at the grassroots level. Ekushey Television has aired more than 100 episodes of Deshjure. Nasrin is currently studio director of Sisimpur, the Bangladeshi version of Sesame Street. Some of Nasrin's documentaries have attracted wide attention. Deshjure received positive feedback from London, Germany, Switzerland, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia and also non resident Bangladeshis. Explains Nasrin, "Deshjure was not based solely on Dhaka but was about farmers, snake charmers and Baul singers." Being a woman filmmaker has its shares of trials, asserts Nasrin. Though today she has established her own space in filmdom, it has been a steep uphill climb. What's next for the intrepid Nasrin? She plans to do a documentary on sexual harassment of women whether on the street, workplace or home. The aim is to look at male attitudes and the culture that breeds sexual harassment. Having come this far, Nasrin is an impressive role model for many an aspiring filmmaker and women in general who can take heart from her successful battle to find a place for herself in a competitive world.
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