WOMEN RISING 3 Part Series:
WOMEN RISING: STORIES OF STRENGTH AND CHANGE, curated by filmmaker and Chair of the Brooklyn College Film Department Annette Danto, is a captivating film program that celebrates the resilience, courage and unwavering determination of women both in front of and behind the camera. In honor of Women’s History month please join us for an inspiring cinematic journey showcasing women from diverse backgrounds whose journeys inspire hope for the future and change for the better.
Dindigul Diaries
March 28th at 7:30PM
$10 General Admission online ($15 at the Door), $5 Student Tickets (with Valid ID) $35 VIP Cafe Table Reserved Front Seating (Includes Drink Ticket)
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Each day the four women in Dindigul Diaries face long hours of daily work as farm hands, construction laborers, handloom and textile workers, small business owners. They are responsible for taking care of children, meal preparation, retrieval of water and other household work. As with women everywhere, the double burden of household responsibilities and income-generating work takes a toll.
Dindigul is located in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Surrounded by the Sirumalai and Palani hills, the Dindigul district is made up of hundreds of small villages and the bustling town of Dindigul, world renowned for its iron locks. The region suffers from severe drought. It is known for coffee, mini-bananas and flowers. It is also a center for the handloom and leather industries.
The region, like many parts of India, is deeply religious with an abiding mythology that pervades all aspects of life. It is made up of Hindus, Muslims and Christians, living side-by-side.
Annette Danto | Director
Annette Danto is a New York based documentary filmmaker, author, professor and department chair of the Brooklyn College Film Department.
Filmmaker
Producer/Director credits include: Dindigul Diaries (2024), Reflections On Media Ethics (2011) The Never Ending Path (2004), Environmental Health and the Tannery/Textile Industries (2004), Life on the Local (2004), Gandhigram Children's Home (2003), Listen To A Story (2002), A Daughter's Letter (2002), Looking Both Ways (2004), Arts in Action (2003), Shea Nut Gatherers of Burkina Faso (2002), Portraits of Two Women From Burkina Faso (2002), Project Peace (1998), Orphans (1988).
Her films have screened nationally and internationally at festivals (including: Oberhausen, Barcelona International, Valladolid, Tokyo International, Czechoslovakia International, Moscow International, London International, Palais De Tokyo, Seattle International, Chicago International ), broadcast (PBS, NHK, RAI, Canal Plus), and educational institutions throughout the world. She has received grants from USAID, UNIFEM, USIEF, Cinecom, Ted Turner Foundation, Gates Foundation, Eastman Foundation, Tow Foundation, CUNY Research Foundation and PSC-CUNY.
Guest lectures include: British Film Institute-Bangor University, Daniel Pearl Film Festival, M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, Benares Hindu University, Jamila Millia Islamia University, Ruben Museum of Art, USIEF, IIE.
As a filmmaker and educator Danto’s emphasis is on the use of media to effect change in both local, and international communities. This has resulted in the creation at Brooklyn College of a curriculum that incorporates community awareness through production. Students are taught to understand their place within a larger community and to use their media skills in a purposeful manner. On a local level, Danto was the Faculty Program Coordinator for the College Now Video Production Workshops. This involved the development and implementation of thirteen community based high school video production workshops. Workshops included teacher training for high school educators, video production for students with special needs, documentary workshops, and short fiction workshops. As program coordinator for these workshops, Danto’s leadership paved the way for curriculum development at numerous high schools throughout Brooklyn.
Internationally she has directed films as part of educational outreach campaigns in West Africa for the United Nations Development Fund for Women, and in India for the Gandhigram Institutions and Pathfinder International.
As a Fulbright Scholar (2002-03, 2004, 2016-2018) at the Gandhigram Institutions in Ambathurai, Tamil Nadu, Danto collaborated with the Rural Health Media Division on producing music videos addressing girls education, literacy issues, and preventive health care. The videos are used for community-based educational outreach.
In 2004, she directed Shanti's Story, produced by Pathfinder International in Belgaum, Karnataka. This fiction film was used as part of a reproductive health campaign in Maharashtra and Northern
Karnataka, India.
Educator
Danto has been a professor at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Film Department since 1997 and department chair since 2018. She is the former chair of the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema and is the founding director of two international programs: Brooklyn College India: Documentary Production Program (2004-2015) and Brooklyn College Documentary Production in Bangor, Wales (2018).