Ahead of Toronto, WMM Picks Up Longinotto's "Pink Saris"

A scene from Kim Longinotto's "Pink Saris."

2010 Toronto International Film Festival doc, "Pink Saris," by veteran director Kim Longinotto has been picked up by New York-based Women Make Movies (WMM). The film, about Northern India's Gulabi Gang, will have its world premiere at the upcoming festival, which Longinotto will attend.

"Pink Saris" is described as "an unflinching and often amusing look at an unlikely [group of] political activists and their charismatic leader; in extraordinary scenes, [protagonist] Sampat launches herself into the center of family dramas, witnessed by scores of spectators, convinced her mediation is the best path for these vulnerable girls. Her partner Babuji, who has watched Sampat change over the years, is less certain." Sampat Pal and Gulabi Gang are Nothern India's women vigilantes in pink who fight for vulnerable women who are abused by their families and in-laws.

Longinotto is known for making films which highlight women fighting oppression or discrimination, such as "Rough Aunties" (winner of the Sundance World Cinema Jury Prize in Documentary and recently premiered on HBO), "Divorce Iranian Style," and "Sisters In Law" (a Peabody Award winner).

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2 Comments

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kim longinotto | September 2, 2010Reply

PS but thanks for writing about the film!
kimlonginotto | September 2, 2010Reply

Dear Indiewire I love the photo, but it's not actually a scene from Pink Saris. in fact, the film is not really about the Gulabi Gang at all, but it follows the stories of young girls who come to Sampat for help. The Gulabi Gang was very much in the background the 3 months that we were with Sampat, she made all of her decisions entirely on her own.