Don’t Fence Me In

Don’t Fence Me In 2 minute excerpt

Against the broader backdrop of modern India’s political and social history, this lyrical documentary tells the story of the life of Krishna Sikand, the filmmaker’s mother, from childhood to maturity. A rich mosaic of memory and impressions, DON’T FENCE ME IN captures the fragmented way in which we journey back through time. Evoking Krishna’s earliest years in pre-independence Bombay as the daughter of a well-to-do Bengali family, the film also traces her post-colonial experiences–from marriage to a Punjabi army officer in the face of fierce family opposition, through the raising of two daughters and successful careers as an academic, small business entrepreneur, media consultant, journalist, and poet. Black-and-white photos of Krishna as a child and young woman are juxtaposed with clips from home movies shot by the filmmaker’s father nearly thirty years ago, and recent location footage. Krishna’s personal narrative is highlighted by her wonderful letters to her daughter and the poems that serve as milestones in her life.

Highlights: Currently in distribution with Women Make Movies. Awarded grants from the Jerome Foundation, Air India, Government of India Tourist Office and Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation. Won Best Super 8mm film award at Philafilm Festival 1999. Keynote speaker and screening at Women & Film Festival at Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT 2002.

Official Selection & Screenings: 

Tribeca Film Center, 1998

Chingari Film Festival at University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1999

Artwallah, Los Angeles, 2000

Bryn Mawr Film Festival, 2002

Reellife: Women, Film, Conversation at College of Santa Fe, NM, 2002

Cineversity at University of Ulster Film Festival (2002)

Seattle Art Museum, 2003

For distribution click here.