The film was selected out of about 500 submissions
Sharath Chandra Bose. (Photo: DC)
ALAPPUZHA: A short film named ‘Penile Code’ directed by Malayali filmmaker Sharath Chandra Bose has been selected for the international competition section of the Youki16 International Youth Media Festival in Austria to be held from ?November 18 to 22.
The film was selected out of about 500 submissions. The Youki fest in Wels, Autriche, which screens about 70 films annually, is Austria’s biggest up-and-coming media festival with international focus.
Bose, a native of Vythiri in Wayanad district and master’s student in arts and aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, said the film was made to express his protest against the country taking away the rights of homosexuals.
“We live under a democratic system which guarantees fundamental rights. I wanted to expose the hypocrisy of Indian society on homosexuals. Homosexuality is not a crime but a state of mind of individuals. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court itself showed its double-standard by recriminalising gay sex in 2013. I have justified my stance on the issue through the film, which is my debut directorial venture. I am delighted by its selection in a prestigious international film fest,” he said.
The 15-minute film revolves around the life of a lesbian couple enacted by Lakshmi Marikar, an MPhil student in women’s studies at JNU, and Prachi Jain, post-graduate student in Japanese language there.
The couple struggle to sort out their problems that they face from the political realm. There is a tragic twist when an unexpected intruder enters their personal and sexual life. The intruder is symbolically portrayed as the ‘penile code’ that represents draconian law and patriarchal society.
Bose also said that he had sent the film to many other international and national film festivals. The camera is cranked by Ankit Arya, a graduate from Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute.
( Source : dc )
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