Pink Saris

For more than twenty years, eloquent Sampat, head of the Gulabi Gang, has been campaigning for women rights in northern India. Fearless and tireless, she is the sort of woman to scold at groups of men and give crisp advice to women.

"Those who are shy, are bound to die", Sampat preaches. We follow her on her visit to one of the many families, while she gives both parents a piece of her mind when it turns out they have beaten or expelled their daughter. Often, the caste system is at the root of family and other forms of relational misery. According to Sampat, the religious conviction of the lowest caste, the 'untouchables', accounts for their miserable living conditions. She does everything in her power to break out of the traditional caste system. In the eyes of runaway and disowned girls, Sampat is like Mother Teresa. She is well aware of that fact: "If it wasn’t for me, who would wipe your tears away?" When Sampat’s husband voices his discontent with her status as a celebrity, we also see her vulnerable side.

British filmmaker Kim Longinotto (London, 1952) strongly feels it is her duty to denounce injustice, treating controversial topics with sensitivity and empathy. Her films show ordinary women engaged in extraordinary efforts to put an end to sex stereotyping.