Ladies Only - Feature Documentary

Ladies Only directed by Rebana Liz John & produced by Kunsthochschule Für Medien Köln, Film und Medien Stiftung NRW Official Selection
Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival
13th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival-2023
http://educationexpo.tv/dadasahebphalkefilmfestival

Ladies Only - Feature Documentary

Melbourne people spread the word! Ladies Only will screen at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne which runs August 12-20th

I was glad I could be at the Q&As of most of the UK screenings. Those moments were enriching and rewarding! London Indian Film Festival - https://www.iglobalnews.com/ientertainment/films-screens/london-indian-film-festival-2022-celebrates-strong-female-voices

London Indian Film Festival 2022 celebrates strong female voices Starting with the world premiere of the Taapsee Pannu led thriller ‘Dobaaraa’, this year’s London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) opens next week in London with a strong female line-up of Indian actors and filmmakers.

Screening in Birmingham is on the 1st of July Electric Cinema B'ham . Tickets in Link below - https://www.electricbirmingham.com/films/details/25401ADKDNDVMDKDPLNQQVHNPHGRHDJGH

Screenings in London are on the 29th & 30th of June at the lovely Bertha Dochouse & (Institut Français London) Supported by (Integrity International) . Tickets in the link below - https://londonindianfilmfestival.co.uk/ladies-only/

Screenings in Manchester are on the 28th of June. Get your tickets at the links below.

Inviting all women, and anyone who identifies as a woman, to our womxn only screening of Ladies Only at 12:30 on Tue 28 Jun - https://homemcr.org/film/women-only-screening-ladies-only/

and at 18.15 for general compartment ;) - https://homemcr.org/film/ladies-only/

Alright! So Ladies Only is going on tour in the UK this year! We start of with our UK premiere at Sheffield DocFest . Then London Indian Film Festival has made screenings possible at Manchester, London and Birmingham!! Dates, details and links will follow soon.

Ladies Only is on their way to Premiere in the UK at the lovely Sheffield DocFest !! - https://sheffdocfest.com/film/ladies-only

Ladies Only | Sheffield DocFest The local train is a sight to behold in the morning, overloaded with crowds fighting to get inside. A special compartment reserved for women appears as a temporary oasis – a haven for solitude and contemplation. Director Rebana Liz John questions the women, who reveal what it means to keep ambitio...

We Premiere in 2 days!! 15 th Feb in Kino International Berlin at 18.45 and of course more screenings will follow. Looking forward to seeing you there.

The schedule is out! Ladies Only - Feature Documentary screens after the short film Rondo on these dates. (Limited seating capacity due to pandemia)

https://www.berlinale.de/en/programme/programme/detail.html?film_id=202204246

This film could not have been possible without the consent and enthusiasm of the wonderful people that we met mostly by accident, before or during the shoot. Thank you for opening up to a stranger you met in the train!

The - Berlin International Film Festival is bravely going ahead with in person festival this year and we are glad to be in the Perspective Deutsches Kino Section. Here is the list of films - https://www.berlinale.de/en/news-topics/news/detail_119368.html

Perspektive Deutsches Kino 2022: An Echo of the Past Berlin International Film Festival - official website

Very thrilled to announce that Ladies Only has been selected to be part of the Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival this year!! :D

Hot off the Press as Milann puts it :)
My Interview in the New Strait Times, a Malaysian Newspaper:
https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/new-straits-times/20211024/281736977656779

Blaz­ing a trail | New Straits Times BIFF pro­gram­mer Park Sun-young shares that the pro­gramme was designed to expand the reach of the Asian Cinema 100 best film selec­tion the fest­ival first launched in 2015 — as well as to inspire. “In the film industry it is really hard for a woman...

It is kind of surreal to see that Ladies Only has been featured by Asian Film Festivals: 10 documentaries you shouldn’t miss at the 26th Busan International Film Festival !

2 of 3 screenings done! The audiences here at 부산국제영화제 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) have been wonderfully attentive and curious..!

https://asianfilmfestivals.com/2021/09/26/documentaries-shouldnt-miss-busan-international-film-festival-2021/

10 Documentaries you shouldn’t miss at the 26th Busan International Film Festival These are ten documentaries you shouldn’t miss at the 26th Busan International Film Festival which will take place from October 6th – 15th, 2021 in Busan, Korea.

Here's a rare sighting of the director Rebana John with Navya Sah Milann John Kakkamthottil :)

The crew in full action at Thane Junction, one of the busiest stations at rush hour in the evenings. Mumbai’s busy workforce, all trying to get home.

Here they are, taking a little break sitting next to the open door like many women do everyday. Milann John Kakkamthottil is the only person I know who has a 360° camera and is not afraid to use it! ;)

Here is , our sound recordist from the second half of the shoot. We are filming stationary scenes at CST, one of the oldest and biggest stations in Mumbai. She and Navya were instrumental in recording some great sound despite the loud and aggressive conditions in the trains.

Here are cinematographer Milann John Kakkamthottil and sound recordist Navya Sah during the first few days of shoot. The trains were such a challenge with conditions changing constantly. Light, noise levels, people entering/leaving and the vendors impressing themselves onto the sound in interviews! It took us a while to get used to all this and function like a film unit where camera, sound and director have good access to what was being filmed, while also managing to not disturb other passengers and so on.

At moments of sheer frustration, I stopped at an image and made a sketch; to remind myself of the joy of filmmaking, without which all of this would really be a waste. It worked because it was a different kind of meditation over the images and a way to focus on my thoughts about the material.

How can one work systematically within an intuitive process? An intuitive decision is based on a set of calculations that take into account all possible considerations, executed in a brief instant. We had shot 75 hours of material! And I transcribed all of it - the interviews and the images. It was a tedious and long process! But it helped me transition into the role of an editor.

During the shoot in April-May 2019, we were a team that was trying to stay in the observational mode but not without some form of contact. That meant looking for non verbal signs of consent and non consent. It was beautiful when someone we began to interview opened up and revealed a whole new world of thoughts and ideas. Sharayu Ail Nami VM

I had more than 30 women who we had interviewed for this film. Often randomly selected and engaged with, in a very short timespan. Some were acquaintances. But whatever depth was achieved, was due to this fleeting nature of the connection in a moving train.

Farzana Sheikh in conversation with us just as the rush hour begins.

'When a camera is placed in a space, it affects the space. The people with this camera are also affecting the scene. The initial research for this film mostly entailed observing the effect of the camera and me as the camera wielder, on that space inside the train. Establishing my presence as a person first and not just as a person holding a camera. Once I started framing and recording, there was a genuine interest towards me and acknowledging it was a necessity. Being the observational camera eye is not about being invisible, it is almost the opposite.'

Still from the film 'Ladies Only', image by Milann John Kakkamthottil

I have written extensively about the process of making this film in my Thesis which I produced into a book. If you’d like a copy let us know. :)

More thoughts from it coming soon!

We’re very elated that Ladies Only has been invited to premiere at the prestigious 부산국제영화제 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) 2021 as part of the Documentary Wide Angle Section - A section dedicated to showing outstanding short and documentary films that offer broad cinematic viewpoints and a distinct vision.

The first poster!

Ladies Only is a feature length documentary that has been in production since 2018, when I, (director Rebana Liz John) had a seed of an idea. It's grown through the support of many many wonderful people. This page is a way to tell the story of its making, all the hard work that went into it and the journey it will continue to make.. Come join us!

Ladies Only - Feature Documentary updated their business hours.