Film Screening and Director Q & A

About this event 

The Sahara Centre is pleased to present a free film screening of Women are the Answer (2019), exploring citizenship, consciousness and self-determination and how it can result in lasting change for societies.  The film screening will be preceded by a director Q & A with Fiona Cochrane., 

What can a community achieve when citizens have the opportunity to learn, lead and shape their futures?

For our upcoming Mangrove Session, we will be screening Women Are the Answer (2019), an award-winning documentary directed by Fiona Cochrane. The film explores Kerala, a state in southern India, and its distinctive development model, examining how education has contributed to improvements in health, social development and population outcomes.

Through the experiences of women and insights from researchers and public figures, the documentary explores the relationship between female literacy, women’s rights, economic development and the wellbeing of communities.

At The Sahara Centre, we are interested in what this documentary reveals about education as a tool for social innovation and the importance of creating conditions in which women can contribute meaningfully to the development of their societies. Kerala offers a starting point for a broader conversation: what can African communities learn from development models that place women’s education and empowerment at the centre?

Join us for an afternoon of film, reflection and interesting conversation.

Film Synopsis

Population growth has been left out of the climate debate because it is considered controversial, yet it is one of the most important factors. The global population has passed the 7 billion mark and India will soon overtake China as the most populous nation in the world, but one state in southern India has found the solution: Kerala educates its women.

The unique history of Kerala and ‘the Kerala Model’ is outlined, using it as an example of achieving population control in developing countries without coercion. Links are highlighted within the documentary between issues such as women’s education, women’s rights and status in society, women’s health, population growth, global poverty and global food shortage, economic growth and environmental stability.

About the Director:

Fiona Cochrane is an award-winning Australian filmmaker, producer and director whose work spans feature films, documentaries, short films and music videos. Originally trained in medicine at Monash University, she later pursued filmmaking, working across different roles in film production before focusing on directing and producing.

Her documentary work explores a range of social and human experiences. Women Are the Answer examines the relationship between women’s education, health and development through the example of Kerala, India.

Cochrane received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019 for her service to the visual arts as an independent film producer. Women Are the Answer has also received recognition at several international film festivals, including the Big Syn International Film Festival and the Indo-Global International Film Festival.