Persister: Films by women, about women speaking up and being heard
Popular singer, performer and self-described troublemaker Sona Mohapatra is constantly questioned and baited. A sexist media and music establishment sees her in terms of features—beauty, boobs and an awesome voice—and religious groups judge her as blasphemous and obscene. As an empowered, modern Indian woman, debate is her default setting. Whether she’s reinterpreting devotional Sufi songs, channelling the uninhibited goddess energy of Chandi or issuing open letters in her fight for gender equality, her efforts never go unpunished. An established artist who’s toured the world and been featured in Bollywood films and advertisements, she continues to have to prove herself every day and faces regular harassment, threats and lawsuits. But Sona will not stop…singing, dancing, speaking her mind and taking up space. Sona will not abide by millennia of misread mystical poetry, discarded female deities and religious scripture forbidding women from entering certain places, wearing certain clothes. Sona will not shut up. Angie Driscoll
This film includes a pre-recorded Q&A.
Co-presented with Small World Music
Persister program presented in partnership with Oxfam Canada with the participation of the Government of Canada
MEDIA COVERAGE
- The Gate - 12 More Must-See Films
- POV - "Celebratory and revealing"