Aneek Chaudhuri's silent film White makes big noise at international film festivals

Independent filmmaker Aneek Chaudhuri’s White, a silent film on sexual violence, is earning international recognition. The film was premiered at the Marche Du Film of Festival De Cannes and it also got selected for a screening at Reaktor Indian Film Festival at Vienna, Austria.

White narrates three stories about three women who have been raped in different social contexts. The first one is about a factory labourer who gets raped in the work premises. The second story revolves around a single mother who can’t face her own child after having been enduring the heinous crime. The last one is about a raped married woman and the treatment of her husband towards her.

Through these stories, Chaudhuri attempts to explore the ray of hope that makes women carry on with their lives despite being victims of sexual assault. He wishes to convey the message that, “Sexual assault victims in real terms do not depend on cheap sympathy as they carry the divine power and cosmic energy of their womanhood in themselves, untouchable even by rape.” White stars Kaushik Roy and Arjaa Banerjee.

“White is an effort, but a rebellious voice too. Through this film, I aim to create a cinematic movement which will show the power of cinema to shape modern times. At the same time, I wanted to create something aesthetically beautiful. Here, silence has been used as a satire to reach the universal theme of rape. People are silent in order to ignore things that do not affect their own lives; however, White is silent, but holds conscience. Here silence is being used as a weapon,” he added in an interview with The Times of India.

Founded with the purpose to transfer authentic art to the audience, Reaktor is organising the Indian Film Festival in Vienna for the first time this year. The festival will be inaugurated with Talking of Michelangelo by Modhurima Sinha and Waiting by Anu Menon.

Chaudhuri’s previous film Streer Patro (The wife’s letter) was also screened at the Festival De Cannes last year.