Director got death threats over film poster featuring Hindu goddess. Now she's getting a protest screening
CBC
This story contains an image of the film poster.
Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai is still being harassed online, though it's been months since the director tweeted a poster for her documentary short that depicted the Hindu goddess Kali holding a Pride flag and smoking a cigarette.
At the time, the Indian director who is currently living in Toronto and identifies as queer, said she never expected the backlash or the death threats from people who found her depiction of the goddess offensive. Nor did she expect Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) to pull the film.
In early July, the university hosted a screening of Kaali — which uses an alternate spelling of the goddess's name — as part of its "Under the Tent" series on multiculturalism at the Aga Khan Museum. The film is a commentary on multiculturalism and features Manimekalai herself portraying Kali and exploring the city of Toronto at night.
Now, the TMU faculty association's equity committee has organized what it calls a "protest and solidarity screening" of both Kaali and another of Manimekalai's films to support her work and to protest censorship.
"I definitely feel less alone," said Manimekalai, who is attending graduate school at Toronto's York University.
"I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm actually very happy after a long time because so many people are trusting your work and trying to root for you and support you."
The screening, which is sold out, will take place on campus Thursday, as a "protest against her artistic censorship and institutional disavowal and a show of solidarity towards a queer feminist artist," said TMU equity committee member Fahad Ahmad.
"I hope people will be able to engage directly with Leena's work and make an impression of it through that engagement as opposed to hearsay or … reactionary social media posts," he said.
The event is co-sponsored by several community organizations including PEN Canada, Hindus for Human Rights, the Poetic Justice Foundation and TMU's Centre for Free Expression.
"What happened to her was wholly inappropriate," said James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression, calling the opposition to Manimekalai's poster "frightening."
"It's really important in the academic world to stand up to that attack on academic freedom and artistic freedom."
In a statement, Toronto Metropolitan University told CBC News that universities are "increasingly challenged" by the complex nature of these issues.
"While an apology was issued for the discomfort this film caused, the university remains committed to our core values of freedom of expression within an atmosphere free of intimidation."
