Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari: ‘We should stop addressing filmmakers as a female filmmaker’

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari opens up about gender balance, and what being a fearless filmmaker means to her.

The dialogue surrounding gender parity and redefining the narrative of women in cinema has been ongoing for quite some time. While filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari acknowledges that significant progress has been made, she wonders why the term "female filmmaker" is still widely used, pointing out the inherent bias in this labelling.

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari recently joined the second edition of Red Lorry Film Festival as a jury member.

Recently, Ashwiny spoke with Hindustan Times where she questioned why this label is still used for women, arguing that male directors are not referred to in a similar manner. She also spoke about the stories she wants to tell and her role as a jury member of the second edition of Red Lorry Film Festival, a festival curated by BookMyShow.

On need to break free from 'female filmmaker' stereotype

When asked about how things have changed for women in the industry, Ashwiny tells us, “A lot of things have changed. First of all, I think we should stop addressing filmmakers as female filmmaker”.

“It will be great if you stop addressing that and just see filmmakers. It will bring a big change. We don't see people saying 'male filmmakers’, they just call them filmmakers,” she asserts.

The director continues, “We are ready to tell stories about women. If you will see this year's Oscars, there was Wicked, which is led by women. The film which has won the maximum amount of Oscars this time: Anora has many women out. It narrates a story about a woman in a landscape which we are not used to seeing”.

When it comes to narratives centred around women, Ashwiny feels people are trying to challenge them in terms of writing.

“We take women characters, and we are not scared to tell that story to producers. We are not scared to headline a film which is led by a female actor. That is where change has happened, and it is just the beginning... I hope there will be more stories led by women. And stories where we say that it is a story, and it happens to be a story about a woman,” says the director.

On her journey as a storyteller

Ashwiny is known for helming movies such as Nil Battey Sannata, Panga and Bareilly Ki Barfi. She admits that real-life insights have always inspired me.

“Characters with their flaws have always inspired me. I do feel that it is important for me as a storyteller to tell stories where people have something to take back with them, whether they laugh or cry," she says.

For her, cinema is all about touching people’s hearts. She says, “That is what gives me joy. This year, I heard a line said at the Oscar award ceremony, it said that pain is temporary, films are forever. This line resonated with me... I would love to make movies which leave an impact”.

In fact, watching films from all around the world as a jury member of the second edition of Red Lorry Film Festival, inspired her a lot.

“It was a learning experience. When we see good cinema, it has an effect on me as a storyteller. It just wants me to do better and inspires me to tell different stories,” she shared.

On how did films impact her

“They were very fearless storytellers... Fearless in the sense that they adopted a new medium of filmmaking. There was no same way to tell a story. You look at cinema in terms of points of view and how they have changed. It is nice to see different techniques of filmmaking,” she shares, appreciating how technical aspects have changed.

Here, she clarifies, “When I say fearless filmmaker, I say fearless in the sense of the kind of stories I want to say in the right way. When I say that I want to be a fearless filmmaker, it is about speaking my mind. But at the same time telling a story which challenges me technologically”.