For the love of a good scare

Sapna Bhavnani

For far too long, horror has been meted out an almost step-child-like treatment in Indian contemporary fiction, whether in films or books. Now, the second edition of Wench Film Festival (WFF) is shining a light on the unexplored possibilities of this genre with two curated panel discussions.

The festival, which began on March 7, has been organised by Sapna Moti Bhavnani's production company, Wench Films, which focuses on promoting female talent from India to the world. Commenting on this year's theme, Bhavnani, says, "We've tied up with three international women collectives - NYX Horror Collective, Final Girls Berlin and Etheria Film Festival - which are using the horror/fantasy space to tell fantastic stories and will screen their selections to our audiences in India. Our first edition witnessed a tremendous response, as the brilliantly talented, unsung women heroes were recognised at our award ceremony. In its second year, WFF has taken its platform to the next level and has invited path-breaking talent."

Kiran Manral and Sidharth Jain

On Saturday, they have organised a panel discussion titled I See Dead People, which will bring together a talented group of writers to discuss horror writing in India. "We want to share with our audience the kind of writing we do, which has moved a long way from the Ramsay Brothers' depiction of horror. We also want to highlight women writing horror - what kind of horror do we like to write? Is there more focus on psychological horror? Do we like to include gore?" explains author Kiran Manral, who is one of the panelists.

She adds that horror writers have been making a valiant effort to get their work out, pointing to the Indian chapter of the Horror Writers' Association, which is headed by Neil D'Silva (another panelist). "Indian readers have always been reading horror. We've all read novels by Stephen King, for instance. But Indian authors don't get the same kind of attention. It's always great to read stories that are set in our own socio-cultural milieu, without resorting to hackneyed tropes such as the chudail or dayan," Manral says.

Sidharth Jain, chief storyteller and producer at The Story Ink, who will be on the panel of Scream Queens on Sunday, reveals, "We will explore the challenges that filmmakers in this genre face, including budgets and major film actors not being cast in such films." He is hopeful about the future of horror in India, with the rise of OTT platforms. "Horror represents an excellent opportunity for younger storytellers. We have to make it relevant from a contemporary frame of reference," he concludes. You can browse through this year's curation of 44 films on the website, and tune in to the panel discussions on the festival's Facebook page.

Till March 14
Log on to wenchfilmfestival.com; @wenchfilmfestival on Facebook