NEW YORK (TIP): The controversial documentary ‘India‘s Daughter’ by BAFTA award winning filmmaker Leslee Udwin, based on the horrific gang rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a moving bus on the streets of Delhi, and subsequently her death because of the beastly assault, in December of 2012, has been banned in India, but will see the light of day in the US later this month, through DVDs as well as on-demand screenings by the organization Women Make Movies (WMM).
The gang rape and death of the victim, who was named as ‘Nirbhaya’ by the media in India, in compliance with Indian laws that do not identify sexual assault victims, led to widespread protests all over India.
This week, the documentary, which also carries excerpts of interviews with the perpetrators of that deadly attack – who have been sentenced to death and remain incarcerated in Delhi’s Tihar Jail – was banned in India and will not be broadcast as scheduled on March 8, the International Women’s Day.
The Indian government’s measures also prompted the documentary to be screened on BBC Four’s Storyville, on March 4, instead of March 8.
WMM stated that the documentary will be available in the US later this month, and is available for pre-order, as well as for screenings.
WMM, an organization begun in 1972, which has grown from a feminist filmmakers’ collective into an industry-leading nonprofit media arts organization and distributor, said in a statement: “With exclusive access, Udwin goes behind prison walls to interview the rapists and further exposes an institutionalized view of women as second-class, undesirable, citizens, a mindset which leads to such heinous crimes. An impassioned plea for change, INDIA’S DAUGHTER pays tribute to a remarkable and inspiring young woman and explores the compelling human stories behind the incident and the political ramifications throughout India.”