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Leena Manimekalai | |
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| Website | http://leenamanimekalai.com/  |
Leena Manimekalai is an Indian filmmaker, poet and an actor. Her works include five published poetry anthologies and several films in genres, documentary, fiction and experimental poem films. She has been recognised with participation, mentions and best film awards in many international and national film festivals.
After a brief period as an assistant director with mainstream filmmakers and an intensive experience as a Television Producer and Anchor, she debuted in 2002 with the short documentary film Mathamma. [1] The 20-minute-long docu-fiction is about devoting girl children to the deity, a practice prevalent among the Arundhatiyar community in Mangattucheri village near Arakkonam, Chennai. [2] Her other films too deal with the issues of the marginalised. Parai is a film on violence against Dalit women. She went on the road with her films across hundreds of villages serving her videos a tool for participatory dialogue with the masses on compelling issues.
Break the Shackles is about the effects of globalisation on rural Tamil villages.[ citation needed ] [3]
Love Lost is about changing relationships in urban space. It is an experimental five-minute video poem from her anthology.[ citation needed ]
Connecting Lines, which she did soon after she changed her style of film-making from "activistic" to "artistic", is about student politics in India and Germany. The documentary weaves through the student lives of four protagonists, two each in India and Germany.[ citation needed ]
Waves After Waves explores how art rejuvenates the lives of children, devastated by the 2004 tsunami at the coastal villages of Tamil Nadu.[ citation needed ] Leena was inspired to do this project while she was serving as a volunteer in tsunami-hit regions of Tamil Nadu doing art therapy workshops for children. Altar is a documentary intervention on child marriage customs prevailing in the Kambalathu Naicker community in the central parts of Tamil Nadu.[ citation needed ] [4]
A Hole in the Bucket takes a look at the dynamics of water crisis in the city of Chennai in the context of families with different income levels. [5] A Hole in the Bucket was showcased at International Water Symposium, Stockholm, 2007. Goddesses follows the lives of three extraordinary women who go against norms to succeed in usually male-oriented careers: a fisherwoman, a gravedigger and a funeral singer and it won her the prestigious Golden Conch at the Mumbai International Film Festival, 2008.[ citation needed ]
Manimekalai has taken up a visual art fellowship with PSBT on Tamil Women Poetry and Desire through the ages of Sangam, Medieval and Modern periods.[ citation needed ] "My Mirror is the Door" is her visual quest into the Sangam Age Tamil Women Poetry in which she traces her roots as a modern Tamil poet. IAWRT (International Association of Women in Radio and Television) awarded her with a fellowship to make a video portrait "Still I Rise" on Dayamani Barla, the first Indigenous Adivasi woman journalist who turned into a dynamic political leader in Jharkhand. Her specialisation is on "Media and Conflict resolution" and she had been a European Union Scholar in art practice. She has Commonwealth Fellowship to her credits for "Woman in Cinema" and been a Charles Wallace Scholar with School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.[ citation needed ]
Manimekalai has expressed opposition to censorship in Indian cinema: "CBFC is an archaic institution and it has to go. It is as simple as that. It is such a sore in the skin of democracy. I do not know when filmmakers will realise the very existence of CBFC is an insult to our sensibilities and collectively come together to bring it down. The 1952 Cinematograph Act has to be challenged if we think we are not stupid." [6]
Manimekalai's first feature film Sengadal completed production in 2011. The film shows how the ethnic war in Sri Lanka affected the lives of fishermen in Dhanushkodi.[ citation needed ] The censor board initially refused clearance certificate to the film, stating that it made denigrating political remarks about the governments of Sri Lanka and India, and uses unparliamentary words. She had appealed to the Appellate Tribunal authorities and contested the case legally for several months and finally got it cleared by July 2011 without any cuts.[ citation needed ]
"The making of White Van Stories was not a scripted journey. It was rather mystical. Maybe my constant urge to tell stories that otherwise had been forgotten pointed me towards that direction." [7] [8]
—Leena Manimekalai about her documentary White van stories on Channel 4
Manimekalai's White Van Stories is a 70-minute documentary feature on enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka inspired by voices of those in search of their loved ones. Leena has a fresh set of challenges at her hand.[ citation needed ] She is now trying to get across the documentary, shot undercover in parts evading the constant gaze of the military, to a global audience. Leena was inspired to work on the subject of enforced disappearances when she visited Sri Lanka for a literary festival (41st Ilakkiya Santhippu) in July, and stayed back to travel. The stories she heard of people searching for their loved ones, thousands of whom vanished in the last stage of war in 2009, moved her to make the film. [9]
Manimekalai filmed the historical protests of the families of the disappeared in Jaffna and Colombo who were asking for justice, truth and reparation, declaring "No Peace" until their loved ones return.[ citation needed ] And She followed seven women who shared their stories across the east, south and north provinces. Access was incredibly challenging. North of Sri Lanka is heavily militarised and this is a story that had been largely impenetrable to the media as enforced disappearances also include journalists who are considered even slightly critical of state and its policies.[ citation needed ] Ultimately the film had to be made under severe vigilance and intimidation by the Lankan military. On one occasion Leena was asked to leave the country and on another detained for hours of questioning at a check post where they confiscated her tapes and denied her permission to film. [7]
Manimekalai identifies as bisexual and came out in her second poetry collection, Ulagin Azhagiya Muthal Penn (The Most Beautiful First Woman in the World). [10]
"We always have a notion that the metropolises are open to discuss about LGBT than the rural areas. But, it is a false notion. The rural and the tribal people find it easy to share us about the topics that are usually considered taboo by the urban people" [11]
— Leena Manimekalai on Alan Turing Rainbow Festival Organized by Srishti Madurai
Leena Manimekalai along with Anjali Gopalan supported the Asia's first Genderqueer Pride Parade organised by Gopi Shankar Madurai of Srishti Madurai in July 2012. [12] Leena is the author of Antharakanni, the first poetry collection in Tamil on lesbian love. Springing from Tamil folklore, her twilight poems are enchanting with lesbian sensuality. Along with her poems, it has free hand translations of "balaclave" poems of Pussy Riot, the feminist punk band of Russia whose rioters are right now[ when? ] in prison on 'sedition' charges which adds a guerrilla status to the anthology. [10] A Tamil version of openly bisexual Afro American poet June Jordan's cult verse 'About my rights' is another highlight of Antharakanni. [13]
In 2016, she directed a documentary about the troubles faced by two transgender women while they look for a rental apartment in Chennai and the obstacles. [14] It is titled "IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK?" and was first screened on 21 November 2016, and later many other film festivals all over the world. [15]
| Year | Title | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Mathamma | 20 mins | Documentary |
| 2004 | Parai | 45 mins | Documentary |
| 2004 | Break the Shackles | 50 mins | Documentary |
| 2004 | Love Lost | 5 mins | Video Poem |
| 2005 | Connecting Lines | 35 minutes | Documentary |
| 2005 | Altar | 50 minutes | Documentary |
| 2006 | Waves After Waves | 60 minutes | Documentary |
| 2007 | A Hole in the Bucket | 30 minutes | Documentary |
| 2008 | Goddesses | 42 minutes | Documentary |
| 2011 | Sengadal | 100 minutes | Feature Fiction |
| 2012 | My Mirror is the Door | 52 minutes | Video Poem |
| 2012 | Ballad of Resistance | 42 Minutes | Video Portrait |
| 2013 | White Van Stories | 70 minutes | Documentary |
| 2017 | Is it too much to Ask | 28 minutes | Documentary |
| 2021 | Maadathy | Feature film | |
| 2022 | Kaali | Documentary film |
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Length | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Chellamma | Protagonist | Sivakumar | 90 mins | Feature fiction |
| 2005 | Love Lost | Protagonist | Leena Manimekalai | 5 mins | Video Poem |
| 2004 | The White Cat | Female Protagonist | Sivakumar | 10 mins | Short Fiction |
| 2011 | Sengadal the Dead Sea | Female Protagonist | Leena Manimekalai | 102 mins | Feature Fiction |
| Year | Original Title | English Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Ottrailaiyena | As a Lone Leaf |
| 2009 | Ulakin Azhakiya Muthal Penn | The First Beautiful Woman in the World |
| 2011 | Parathaiyarul Raani | Queen of Sluts |
| 2012 | Antharakanni | – |
| 2016 | Chichili | – |
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(September 2022) |
Leena Manimekalai was on the receiving end of significant backlash and threats of violence after posting an image of the Hindu goddess Kaali as a poster for her documentary film Kaali on her twitter account. The image contained a picture of Manimekalai in costume as the goddess Kali smoking a cigarette with the rainbow gay pride flag. Canada’s Aga Khan Museum, where the film had been presented once on 2 July, issued a statement expressing regret that the tweet "inadvertently caused offence". [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]
Kannagi, sometimes spelled Kannaki, is a legendary Tamil woman who forms the central character of the Tamil epic Cilappatikaram. Kannagi is described as a chaste woman who stays with her husband despite his adultery, their attempt to rebuild their marriage after her unrepentant husband had lost everything, how he is framed then punished without the due checks and processes of justice. Kannagi proves and protests the injustice, then curses the king and city of Madurai leading to the death of the unjust Pandyan King of Madurai, who had wrongfully put her husband Kovalan to death. The society that had made her suffer, suffers in retribution as the city Madurai is burnt to the ground because of her curse. In Tamil folklore, Kannagi has been deified as the symbol – sometimes as goddess – of chastity, with sculptures or reliefs in Hindu temples iconographically reminding the visitor of her breaking her anklet or tearing her bleeding breast and throwing it at the city.
Kannathil Muthamittal is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language musical war film produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. It was based on a short story, "Amuthavum Avanum" by Sujatha. The film stars R. Madhavan, Simran and P. S. Keerthana with Nandita Das, J. D. Chakravarthy, Prakash Raj and Pasupathy portraying other pivotal characters. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman, while Ravi K. Chandran handled the cinematography. Mani Ratnam presents the story of a child of Sri Lankan Tamil parentage adopted by Indian parents, whose desire is to meet her biological mother in the midst of the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was released on 14 February 2002.
"Bombay" Jayashri Ramnath is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, singer, and musician. She has sung songs in multiple languages, including for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi movies. Born into a family of musicians, Jayashri represents the fourth generation of music practitioner's in her family. Trained by Lalgudi Jayaraman and T.R. Balamani. She was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2021. In December 2023, she was awarded the most prestigious award in the Carnatic Music Field, the Sangeetha Kalanidhi, by the Madras Music Academy. She has become one of the most sought-after Carnatic musicians today.
Ganesan Subbiah, popularly known as Susi Ganesan, is an Indian film director, producer, scriptwriter and screenwriter.
Alarmel Valli is an Indian classical dancer and Bharatanatyam-Pandanallur choreographer.
Dasari Yoganand was a South Indian film director.
Mahathi S, known by the mononym Mahathi is a Carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi languages.
Maṇimēkalai, also spelled Manimekhalai or Manimekalai, is a Tamil-Buddhist epic composed by Kulavāṇikaṉ Seethalai Sataṉar probably somewhere between the 2nd century to the 6th century. It is an "anti-love story", a sequel to the "love story" in the earliest Tamil epic Silappadikaram, with some characters from it and their next generation. The epic consists of 4,861 lines in akaval meter, arranged in 30 cantos.
Sengadal is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language independent film written and directed by Leena Manimekalai, who makes her directing debut and stars in the film. Produced by Janaki Sivakumar, the film features cinematography by M. J. Radhakrishnan and editing by Sreekar Prasad. The film was initially banned by the regional centre of the Censor Board, but Appellate Tribunal authorities of the board at New Delhi cleared the film in July 2011 after legal struggle. Sengadal was part of the Indian Panorama at the 42nd International Film Festival of India after the censor board had cleared the film.
Anjali Gopalan is an Indian human rights and animal rights activist, founder and executive director of The Naz Foundation (India) Trust, an NGO dedicated to the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India mainly focused on women and children. Anjali began working on issues related to HIV/AIDS and marginalized communities in the United States. In 2012, Time magazine placed Gopalan on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Madras Cafe is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language political action thriller film directed by Shoojit Sircar and starring John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri with newcomer Raashi Khanna in lead roles. The film is set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the time of Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war and assassination of Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The film deals with an Indian Army special officer who is appointed by the intelligence agency R&AW to head covert operations in Jaffna shortly after Indian peace-keeping force was forced to withdraw.
S. Revathi is an Indian lyricist, poet, activist and doctor. She has published three books of poetry and is the editor of Panikkudam, a literary quarterly for women's writing and also the first Tamil feminist magazine. Post several literary meetings and reviewing poetry collections by fellow students, she began working on some of her own pieces.
Murugashankari Leo is a Bharatanatyam artiste and teacher, theatre actor, and research scholar. Bharatantyam is an ancient Indian classical dance form which is known for its beauty, grace and uniqueness. Murugashankari performs this art and has given many recitals across India and other countries. She runs the institution Kalai Koodam – Academy of Performing Arts in Chennai and Madurai, where training in Bharatanatyam is imparted. She is also trained in Carnatic music and Nattuvangam.
Kannaki Amman is the deified form of Kannagi, the heroine of the Tamil epic Cilappatikāram. She is primarily worshipped in Sri Lanka and Kerala, and in a minor way in few parts of Tamil Nadu. As a goddess of chastity, she is venerated by Indian Tamils and Malayalis, Sri Lankan Tamil Shaivites, and also by the Sinhalese Buddhists as Pattini Amma. In regional Hindu tradition, her tale is interpreted as the story of Durga demanding justice after the death of her husband, Kovalan, who is identified as a form of Shiva.
White Van Stories is a documentary by Indian filmmaker Leena Manimekalai for Channel 4 on the long history of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka. It interviews people who have lost their families and how they cope with the trauma and tragedy and how they move all along with their life. It also covers about their protest to know about what happened to their relatives.
Vaishnavi Sundar is an Indian independent filmmaker and activist.
Kaatrukkenna Veli is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language war drama film directed by Pugazhendhi Thangaraj. The film stars Sujitha and Sriman, with Khushbu, C. Arun Pandian, Chandrasekhar, Sudhangan, Sakthi Kumar, Arulmani, Kalairani, Diana and Premi playing supporting roles. The film, produced by T. Vellaiyan, was released on 14 November 2001.
Tamil sexual minorities are Tamil people who do not conform to heterosexual gender norms. They may identify as LGBTQIA. It has been estimated that India has a population of 2.5 million homosexuals, though not all of them are Tamil, and not all Tamils live in India.
The following list is a partially completed compilation of events considered to have a profound effect on the welfare or image of Tamil sexual minorities. The use of bold typeface indicates that the event is widely considered to be landmark:
