Prison Diaries by Uma Chakravarti
The story of the unexpected imprisonment of a number of women, for their resistance to the Emergency of 1975-77, through the life of Socialist and famous actor Snehalata Reddy. Being the only woman political prisoner in jail, she spent eight months in solitary confinement, recording her concerns and traumatic experiences in her diary, extracts of which were later published. Released for a few weeks on parole, she died of a heart attack just before she was to return to jail. The Film recounts her ordeal through the reminiscences of her children and close friends.
Madrid, Spain
Kolkata; Thrissur; India
Uma Chakravarti is a feminist historian turned filmmaker. She has taught history to many generations of women students and been associated with the women's movement and the movement for democratic rights. She has co-authored Delhi Riots: Three days in the Life of a Nation and published books on Buddhism, Caste and Gender, among others. Her films are deeply rooted in history, memory and the archive. Her first film A Quiet Little Entry explored the plight of women's lives during the National Movement, while Fragments of a Past revolves around a political activist who does not remember her own past.
- Cinematographers: Navroze Contractor, Pradeep K. P., Uma Tanuku, Maheen Mirza
- Editor: Priyanka Chhabra
- Music Composer: Konarak Reddy
- Project Partner: Doordarshan
Festival, screening and distribution queries: distribution@psbt.org