Jun 14 2025 to Jun 14 2025 10:30 a.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Avala Hejje (‘Her Step’) is a day-long Kannada short film festival that presents twelve unique films by and on women. The festival celebrates Kannada female voices—through storytelling, experiment, and resistance. Each film takes to the screen the intimate, political, and ordinary lives of women, navigating memory, identity, and place.

Shepherded with a keen feminist eye, the festival spans three sessions. Filmmaker Q&A sessions follow each session, and the evening concludes with an awards ceremony. The festival encourages audiences to discover how stories by women filmmakers break film conventions and create room for new, daring storytelling.

Schedule:

Registration & Refreshments | 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Session 1 | 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

11:15 AM – 11:30 AM: Cakewalk
A nuanced look at gender roles and labor in the domestic kitchen, Cakewalk reflects on generational ideas of ‘normalcy’ in everyday relationships.
(English Subtitles Available)

11:30 AM – 11:45 AM: Solo Traveler
A woman embarks on a solo journey—quiet, persistent, and reflective—challenging expectations and discovering herself in the process.
(English Subtitles Available)

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM: The Last Happy Customer
Set in a quiet Bengaluru café, this short unfolds a humorous yet intimate moment between a customer and a waiter on the cusp of closing.
(English Subtitles Available)

12:00 PM – 12:15 PM: Pushpa
A poignant narrative about a woman navigating survival and dignity in the margins of the city.
(English Subtitles Available)

Jury Panel Discussion | 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM

Q&A Session | 12:45 PM – 1:15 PM

Lunch Break | 1:15 PM – 2:30 PM

Special Screening | 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Neerellavoo Teertha
Rooted in ritual and memory, this lyrical film explores womanhood, water, and drought through folklore and personal inheritance.
(English Subtitles Available)

Session 2 | 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM

3:00 PM – 3:25 PM: How Are You?
A visual conversation between mother and daughter unfolds over domestic scenes, exploring care, exhaustion, and quiet endurance.
(English Subtitles Available)

3:25 PM – 3:45 PM: Online
An evocative take on cyberbullying and teenage isolation, Online follows a girl navigating school, shame, and surveillance.
(English Subtitles Available)

3:45 PM – 3:55 PM: Ubhaya
A young trans woman negotiates the contradictions of ritual, gender identity, and belonging in this intimate coming-of-age film.
(English Subtitles Available)

3:55 PM – 4:30 PM: Unheard Echoes
A meditative audiovisual collage of women’s voices and silences—interweaving gesture, absence, and poetic memory.

Filmmaker Interaction | 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM

Audience Vote & Conversations | 4:45 PM – 5:00 PM

Launch of Pen2Premier | 5:00 PM – 5:20 PM

Panel Discussion | 5:20 PM – 6:00 PM

Key Note Speech | 6:00 PM – 6:20 PM

Awards Ceremony & Closing Remarks | 6:20 PM – 7:00 PM

Speakers

Malavika Gubbivani
Founder Trustee, Gubbivani Trust
Trustee Founder of the Gubbivani Trust, Malavika is an ex-IT professional who became a social activist. With close to 15 years of experience, she spearheads campaigns against corruption, women‘s rights, and environmental justice in Karnataka. She also has a leadership position in the Aam Aadmi Party.

Shanthala Damle
Founder and Director, Avala Hejje
Founder and Director of Avala Hejje, Shanthala has led the initiative since its inception. A former IT professional, she is also the State Vice President of AAP Karnataka and has extensive experience in women’s empowerment and arts programming in Bengaluru.

Pooja Sudhir
Screenwriter
A Kannada-language screenwriter known for blending social insight with engaging narratives. Pooja’s work includes scriptwriting for one of the Session 1 festival screenings, and she is recognized for her authentic characterisations and regional sensibility.

Akhila Vidyasandra
Lawyer
Lawyer and human rights activist based in Bengaluru. Akhila works closely with JD(S) and Karnataka Mahila Dourjanya Virodhi Okkoota, pioneering campaigns for women’s rights and safety, including organising national-level marches and legal aid forums.

Gowri Neelavar
Director
Advertising director and creative producer from Bengaluru, Gowri has led impactful ad campaigns and documentaries. She continues to innovate in storytelling for social messaging, serving on the Avala Hejje jury.

Poornima Malagimani
Author
Author, ex-Indian Air Force officer, and government deputy director. Poornima writes across Kannada, Hindi, and English, published fiction and short stories, and draws on her engineering and service background for culturally rich narratives.

Roopa Rao
Filmmaker
Award‑winning Kannada filmmaker and writer, best known for The Other Love Story (first lesbian web series in Kannada) and feature Gantumoote, which won Best Screenplay at the New York Indian Film Festival. Rao leads independent content production via Ameyukti Studios.

Shobha C S
Co‑founder, Tent Cinema
Shobha produces and curates open‑air film festivals across Karnataka. Her work champions regional cinema and community gatherings under the night sky, combining cultural outreach with cinematic celebration.

Sumana Kittur
Director
Mysuru-born Kannada film director, lyricist, screenwriter, and journalist. Known for Slum Bala, Edegarike, and Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu, she is a State Award winner and key voice in Kannada cinema since the 2000s.

Madhu Daithota
Journalist
Veteran Bengaluru-based journalist with over two decades covering cinema, culture, and social issues. She is a subtitlist, contributes to Times of India, MSN India, and Bombay Times, and leads film discussion sessions at the festival.

Sunayana Suresh
Deputy Editor & Film Critic, Bangalore Times
Deputy Editor & Film Critic at Bangalore Times (TOI); also a casting director, script consultant, executive producer, and media strategist. She curates film discussions and moderates panels for the festival.