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Renowned Indian producer, writer and director, Chitra Palekar will visit UWA next week for a special free screening of her award winning film Maati Maay ( A Grave-keeper's Tale ).

Following the screening the audience will have a unique opportunity to discuss the film with the director.

Maati Maay ( A Grave-keeper's Tale ) is based on a short story by Mahasweta Devi and tells the story of a beautiful young mother, trapped between her instincts and needs and the compulsions of her ancestral duties as dictated by the social system.

As noted by the director, the film is a ‘tale within a tale, exploring a wide range of human relationships in a traditional society.'

The film is shot entirely on location in Central India with a supporting cast of local theatre artists and villagers. The language of Maati Maay is Marathi (with English subtitles) and is a part of internationally renowned, "parallel" cinema in numerous Indian languages.

Chitra Palekar began her career as an actor in avant-garde theatre in Mumbai, winning several awards. She turned to cinema in the early 1980s, as producer and lead actor of Aakriet , which won a Special Jury Award at the Three Continents Film Festival in France.

She makes her directorial debut with Maati Maay , which was the official selection for over 15 Film Festivals including Toronto, London and Creteil. The film has won many awards in India and internationally, and was showcased in the prestigious Indian Panorama.

TITLE: Beyond Bollywood

WHEN: 6pm Thursday 20 May

WHERE: Social Sciences Lecture Theatre, UWA.

The nearest car park is P3 off Hackett Entrance 1.

COST: The screening is free and open to the public, no RSVP required.

Media references

Audrey Barton (UWA Institute of Advanced Studies)  (+61 8)  6488 4797
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716