GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Office (ILO) will mark International Women's Day on Tuesday, 8 March with a round-table discussion on "Women behind the camera: moving into the focus".
The round-table will be held in the Governing Body room of the ILO (level R-3) from 2.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature two internationally recognized women film directors, Claire Denis of France and Pamela Rooks of India who will discuss issues such as gender equality and the role of women in the film industry.
The event is being organized to underline the ILO's commitment to the promotion of gender equality and more and better jobs for women. A media encounter (interviews and photo opportunity) is foreseen after the debate at the same location. Access to the event will be possible from 2 p.m. onwards. Journalists will have to show an accreditation or press card and leave an identity card at the ILO reception desk.
Special Guests:
Claire Denis: Born in Paris in 1948, Claire Denis lived in Africa until the age of 14. A graduate of the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques, she worked as an assistant to Costa Gavras, Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch before directing her first feature film Chocolat (1988). In her work, Denis focuses on the male forces that structure life according to the rules of violence and pressure. Her films show compassion and understanding of the plight of the marginalized and the outcast. Thus, she deals with issues affecting immigrants in S'en fout la mort (1990), and AIDS in J'ai pas sommeil (1993).
Pamela Rooks: Pamela Rooks was born in Calcutta. Since 1986, she has produced documentaries and current affairs programmes for Indian Television. Her documentaries, always topical and socially relevant, have dealt with subjects as diverse as Chipko: A Response to the Forest Crisis, Girl Child: Fighting for Survival, Punjab: A Human Tragedy, Indian Cinema: The Winds of Change, Indian Wildlife: Trading to Extinction. In 1994, she director a documentary called Turmoil in paradise which examined the human implications of the political situation in Kashmir. This was followed by a second feature film, Train to Pakistan. Ms. Rook's third feature is Dance like a man, which has been highly acclaimed. It won a prize for "Outstanding Film Creativity" in New York and the National Award for the Best Film in English for 2003.
This year's Women's Day events also include the second International Film Festival organized by the ILO. The festival is offering a series of films directed by women from around the world which highlight social issues often ignored by other filmmakers.
"The way to gender equality before the camera starts behind the camera", says Professor Martha Lauzen, expert on the role of women in Hollywood films. In 1987, only 3 per cent of women worked behind the scenes of the 100 best Hollywood productions, and 16 years later, they were just one per cent more.
The Second ILO film festival is scheduled from 4 to 10 March at the Maison des Arts in Geneva, CAC Voltaire, 16 rue Général-Dufour, Plainpalais. Swiss director Ursula Meier will be present for the screening of her film Des épaules solides which starts off the festival. All sessions are open to the public free of charge. The films are in French or with French subtitles (*). Besides the general theme "women and work" the screenings cover other issues relevant to the ILO, including child labour, globalization, safety and health at work and decent work.
For the festival programme or more information, please go to our website at www.ilo.org/communication or contact the ILO Department of Communication at +4122/799-7912/7353 or by email at communication@ilo.org.
(*) Except Dance Like a Man on 8 March, which is in the original English version without subtitles.