As we gear up for CJFF 2013 (so great to see everyone at the volunteer meeting yesterday!!) it’s a good time to look back at the past, and what better way than to watch the award-winning documentary THE WORLD BEFORE HER on PBS tonight. Click here for local listings, and also you’ll be able to watch it online on the PBS website from Sept. 17-Oct. 16th at this link. THE WORLD BEFORE HER was one of my favorite films from last year’s festival and a reminder of how radically different women’s lives are around the world. When we think of how far women have come in terms of equality, we often don’t consider how far we have to go and that it is all relative based on the luck of geography. And it’s also a reminder of how diverse India is today, as the film follows young women who are living in a world of tremendous change. We get to know these characters in all their nuances. You’ll cheer for a young woman and at the same time be afraid of her, because she’s actually passionate about her leadership in a terrorist training camp for young girls. And yet she is also bright and questioning the world around her and her thoughtful comments will make you relate to her. And as a paradox to her traditional life, you’ll also be introduced to other young women living in the urban center of and a hyper-Westernized-influenced material world. Like most wonderful documentaries, it bridges the gap between what we think of “them” and “us”, and eventually realize the film actually describes the issues young women face around the world. But in India these issues are evolving at rapid speed, thus we see the world before us.
So it seems fitting to check out THE WORLD BEFORE HER as you also check out what is in store at this year’s festival. Because this year’s theme is “Evolution”. We will look back at the female filmmakers before us, most of which are sadly unknown, as we also look forward to the filmmakers on the horizon, many of which will be here in person to talk about their work at Citizen Jane. Join us!