MU scholar’s docu earns spl mention at film festival

Mangaluru: Poornima Ravi, a research scholar at Mangalore University, was awarded a special festival mention certificate at the 14th Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival for her documentary ‘God’s Wives Men’s Slaves.’ The ceremony took place in New Delhi on Tuesday, where Poornima’s documentary was recognised among 700 entries from around the world, showcasing a diverse array of cinematic talents, said a release.
‘God’s Wives Men’s Slaves’ delves deep into the lives of over 40 Devadasis in the Vijayanagara district of Karnataka, presenting their compelling and ongoing narratives.
The documentary holds significant scholarly importance as it forms a pivotal aspect of Poornima’s PhD research, under the guidance of Nayana Kashyap, associate professor at Field Marshal KM Cariappa College, Madikeri. Poornima also contributes her expertise as a guest lecturer at the Government First Grade College for Women in Puttur.
The documentary explores the plight of Devadasi community. Poornima’s achievement was evaluated by a jury panel comprising film directors Roman Musheghyan from Armenia, Naoki Matsumura from Japan, Francisco Sánchez Palazón from Spain, Alfredo Caldera from Venezuela and counselor at the Embassy Venezuela, New Delhi, GL Bhardwaj, national award winning film director from India, Ran Li from China, Jake Byrd from the US, and DC Singh, jury convener.
The film crew includes Chandrashekhara Hegde (music director), Rakshit Rai (editor), Nihal Noojibail (DOP), Sunitha Praveen (singer), Swarnashree Patte (lyricist), Praveen Varnakuteera (creative consultant), Alok Noojibail (creative collaborator) and Ravi Narayana (executive producer).