Women in Cinema Collective | |
Founded | 1 November 2017 |
---|---|
Headquarters | Stadium Link Road, Kochi, India [1] |
Location | |
Website | wccollective |
Women in Cinema Collective, abbreviated as WCC, is an organisation for women working in the Malayalam cinema industry. [2]
On 1 November 2017, Women in Cinema Collective Foundation was registered as a society in Kerala following the sexual assault case involving a prominent film actress in the Malayalam Cinema. [3] [4] The organisation aims to bring social awareness against misogyny practices and intends to be the unified voice for the welfare of women artists by promoting gender neutral practices in the Malayalam movie industry.
Women in Cinema Collective sought the intervention of Kerala High Court to ensure formation of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) and strict implementation of Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment at Workplace (PoSH) Act, 2013 in all Malaylam film production units. Kerala High Court announced the verdict to adher to the PoSH Act in all film units - which was a significant milestone after the establishment of WCC
Actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, a member of AMMA and WCC, was one of the first to openly state that films with misogynist dialogues should not be encouraged. She named the senior actor Mammootty’s film Kasaba (2016) as one such movie. She requested that senior actors like Mammootty who is much respected and has a wide fan following should henceforth refrain from acting in movies that has such misogynistic scripts for the betterment of the society at large. [8] Parvathy's viewpoint received mostly criticism but also some support from the film fraternity and she became the victim of cyber-bullying. She was viciously trolled and abused by the actor’s fans and two of them were arrested by the Kerala Police following a complaint from Parvathy. [9]
Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) rolls out its own women's wing. Bhagyalakshmi, the chairperson of the newly created women's wing, criticised WCC in being selective in its approach. The new women's wing which in many ways is looked upon as a parallel association to WCC, is claimed to be a platform where concerns of women technicians can be voiced out and they would act as arbitrators with the concerned producers to sort them out. [10]
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail, known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (/mɐmːuːʈːi/), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and English-language productions. In a career spanning five decades, he has acted in over 400 films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards, seven Kerala State Film Awards, and thirteen Filmfare Awards South. For his contribution to film, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 1998. In 2022, he was honoured with Kerala Prabha Award, the second-highest honour given by the Government of Kerala.
Palappurathu Kesavan Surendranatha Thilakan was an Indian film and stage actor who appeared in over 200 Malayalam films. Thilakan was known for his elaborate method acting, realistic and spontaneous appearances. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest Indian actors of all time.
Kavya Madhavan is a former Indian actress, who appeared predominantly in Malayalam films. She made her debut in 1991 as a child artist in Pookkalam Varavayi. Her debut role as one of the lead actresses was in Lal Jose's Chandranudikkunna Dikhil in 1999, when she was in the ninth grade. Its success established her status as one of the leading actress in the Malayalam industry during the 2000s. She has acted in over 75 movies. She has won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress twice, for her performances in Perumazhakkalam (2004) and Gaddama (2010).
Karthika Menon, better known by her stage name Bhavana, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Malayalam films films. She also appeared in some Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu films.
Sunil Kumar, known by his stage name Narain, is an Indian actor, who has starred in Malayalam and Tamil films. He made his debut in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Nizhalkuthu (2002), followed by performances in Malayalam films 4 the People (2004), Achuvinte Amma (2005), and Classmates (2006). Narain's Tamil debut was in Mysskin's Chithiram Pesuthadi (2006).
The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, abbreviated as AMMA, is an Indian organisation of film actors and actresses working in the Malayalam cinema, formed in 1994.
Twenty:20 is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written by Udayakrishna-Siby K. Thomas and directed by Joshiy. The film stars Mohanlal, Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram and Dileep. The film was produced and distributed by actor Dileep through Graand Production and Manjunatha Release. The film was produced on behalf of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) as a fundraiser to financially support actors who are struggling in the Malayalam film industry. All the actors in AMMA worked without payment in order to raise funds for their welfare schemes.
Parvathy Thiruvothu Kottuvattaa is an Indian actress prominently known for her work in Malayalam and Tamil films. Her notable accomplishments include receiving a National Film Award, four Filmfare Awards South, and two Kerala State Film Awards.
Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan Pillai, better known by his stage name Dileep, is an Indian actor, producer, and businessman who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry. He has acted in more than 150 films and has won several awards, including four Kerala State Film Awards and one Filmfare Awards South.
Anjali Menon is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Anjali has won international, national and state awards for her work and is best known for her feature films Manjadikuru,Kerala Cafe, Ustad Hotel, Bangalore Days, Koode and Wonder Women. She is counted among the change agents in Indian cinema whose work gets attention from the audience and the critics. Anjali is the founder of Little Films a film company based in Mumbai and Kerala that produces fiction and non-fiction works. Anjali is one of the founders of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an organization that focuses on gender equality in the Malayalam film industry.
Unnikrishnan B is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry.
Shanker Ramakrishnan is an Indian film screenwriter, director, producer and actor, who works primarily in the Malayalam cinema.
Malekudy Joseph Antony, better known as Antony Perumbavoor is an Indian film producer, distributor, cinema exhibitor and actor, who works in Malayalam film industry. He began his career as a chauffeur to Mohanlal in 1987 and started appearing in brief roles in Malayalam films in 1990s. In 2000, he established the film production house Aashirvad Cinemas, which exclusively produces Mohanlal films. Antony owns the multiplex theatre chain Aashirvad Cineplexx and co-owns the film distribution company Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments. He is the president of Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK).
Deedi Damodaran is an Indian screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. Gulmohar (2008) is her first film in Malayalam directed by Jayaraj, starring Ranjith, Siddique, Augustine, and Neenu Mathew. She is the daughter of the veteran screen writer of Malayalam cinema T.Damodaran. She is one of the founding members of Women in Cinema Collective,WCC, the organization for the welfare of women workers of Malayalam movie industry.
Vijay Babu is an Indian film producer, actor, and businessman, who works in the Malayalam film industry. He is the founder of the film production company Friday Film House.
Kasaba is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Nithin Renji Panicker, starring Mammootty, along with Neha Saxena as his pair, while Varalaxmi, Sampath Raj, and Jagadish played the important supporting roles. The first day gross was the highest for a Malayalam film. The film ended up grossing ₹14.37 crore (US$1.8 million)
Mahesh Narayanan is an Indian film director, screenwriter, editor and cinematographer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, he has also worked in Tamil and Hindi films. He is a recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Debut Director (2017).
Goodwill Entertainments is an Indian film production company and music record label based in the Malayalam film industry. It was founded by Joby George.
Puzhu is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language psychological drama film directed by debutant Ratheena and jointly written by Harshad and Suhas-Sharfu. The film stars Mammootty & Parvathy Thiruvothu in the lead role. Cinematography of the film is handled by Theni Eswar and the film score and songs are composed by Jakes Bejoy.