India's Daughter U.S. Premiere, NYC

Freida Pinto | Photo: Average Socialite

Affair: India's Daughter U.S. Premiere & Panel Discussion

When: Monday, March 9, 2015, 5:30 PM

Hot Spot: Mason Hall, Baruch College CUNY, NYC 

Deets: Vital Voices Global Partnership and Plan International hosted the U.S. premiere of India’s Daughter, an award-winning film directed and produced by Leslee Udwin of Assassin Films and distributed by Women Make Movies. The feature-length documentary India’s Daughter details the aftermath of the 2012 Delhi gang rape that shook the Indian subcontinent and sparked heated dialogue on violence against women and girls around the world. India's Daughter has continued to spark more controversy since the Indian government has now banned the film from airing in that country.

India's Daughter reveals the shocking, engrained cultural norms and viewpoints on women that persist globally. The film features detailed interviews with the perpetrators of the crime, uncovering attitudes symptomatic of a culture of impunity in which violence against women goes unchecked. Exposing and understanding these points of view is critical to addressing the issue of violence against women openly in society. "The rapists are not the disease - they are symptoms," said Leslee Udwin, "Gender-inequality is the primary tumor and rape, trafficking, child marriage, female foeticide, honour killings and so on, are the metastases. If we wish to tackle this issue effectively, we must address these attitudes and the mindset they inform."

Meryl Streep opened the evening's program, leading a traditional candle-lighting ceremony in honor of the 2012 gang rape victim Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old medical student, who died as a result of the attack. Streep has said, "This moving documentary is harrowing not only for its heartbreaking, unflinching look at a young woman’s life (which has been) brutally ended but for the intimate, clear-eyed look at the young men who broke her and their defenders. It forces a look at the mindset that must be made to know it has no place in the civilized world.”

A panel discussion featuring director and producer Leslee Udwin followed the screening. Freida Pinto closed the evening with a rallying call to action: "I'm calling on girls and women, boys and men everywhere to watch this incredible film and then take action: Where you see abuse -- report it. Where you witness discrimination -- speak out. Let's make sure that Jyoti Singh's ultimate legacy is a world free from violence against women and girls."

Plan International has been campaigning for girls’ rights across the globe since 2007. Their grassroots work empowers girls to realize their rights and supports them to stand up against violence and discrimination. Vital Voices invests in women leaders who improve our world. For more than 17 years, they have partnered with women in over 140 countries to increase economic opportunity improve political and public leadership, and to end violence against women. This special private screening launched a worldwide India’s Daughter Campaign against gender inequality and sexual violence against women and girls. 

Spotted: Leslee Udwin & members of the host committee which includes Farhan Akhtar, Tanya Barron, Tina Brown, Susan Chokachi, Susan Davis, Kristen Fitzpatrick, Holly Gordon, Dakota Fanning, Chris Martin, Dev Patel, Arianna Huffington, Runla Jebreal, Nishi Kant, Richard Lui, Alyse Nelson, Freida Pinto, Mary Piyatissa, Hylda Queally, Tessie San Martin, Meryl Streep, Darnell Strom, Debra Zimmerman and Paul Van Zyl. 

Hint For The Average Socialite: India’s Daughter was scheduled to broadcast on BBC4, Sunday, March 8, International Women’s Day, but it aired earlier on Wednesday, March 4 (despite it being banned in India). For several days the BBC made the documentary available on YouTube before it was pulled. The US Premiere took place as originally scheduled on Monday, March 9. The documentary will also be screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

The India's Daughter Campaign website was set to go live on March 8. During the screening, Director Leslee Udwin confirmed that the site "...was due to launch on 8th March, however due to the controversies surrounding the film, our web designers have decided to distance themselves. We will try our best to get the website up and running as soon as possible."

For more videos from the premiere, please visit our Youtube page.

Get Involved: Show your support by joining Plan's Because I am a Girl campaign and by checking back with India's Daughter to help stop violence against girls and women. 

What's Trending: #IndiasDaughter @lesleeudwin @BecauseImFreida #MerylStreep @VitalVoices @PlanGlobal #InternationalWomensDay

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