WCC launches film society after Kerala's first woman actor PK Rosy

The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) launched a film society in the name of the first woman actor of Malayalam cinema PK Rosy.

Rosy known as Rajamma, Rosamma, Rajammal was a Dalit Christian woman, who was the first heroine of the first Malayalam language movie Vigathakumaran (The Lost Child), directed by J. C. Daniel. She played the character of a Nair woman 'Sarojini' in the movie.

Stating that the society aims to provide a democratic platform for discussions on cinema, WCC shared in a Facebook post, “P K Rosy belonged to the Dalit community and was persecuted and was forced to leave this region itself, just because she acted in the silent film 'Vigathakumaran', the very first Malayalam feature film, produced in 1928. This act of naming our film society a P K Rosy Film Society is a humble attempt to be sensitive and to take note of all those who have been excluded from dominant cinema histories through their gender, caste, religious or class locations and our own imagination, and have been brought to light by many a scholars, historians and activists,”

The post further said: “P.K.Rosy Film society is an endeavour from our side for establishing a viewing space for cinema, which has most often been an all male space. Headed and run by an all ciswomen/transwomen panel, we aim at showcasing, discussing and celebrating women film makers, women film professionals and feminist cinema aesthetics. We hope that the film society will also serve as a democratic platform that will enable discussions on cinema and hopefully contribute to a discourse on contemporary cinema aesthetics.”

The has been designed by Mumbai based designer, Zoya Riyas.

Formed by women in Malayalam movie industry, WCC had been vocal on raising concerns to ensure better workplace conditions for women.