Masterclass – The Politics of Accountability: the Making of To Kill a Tiger
Wednesday August 21, 8:00-10:30am
The Studio at Cornwall, Cornwall Centre
Continental Breakfast Included
From the moment we commit to telling someone’s story, what are the ways we assume responsibility for it? Join us for a conversation with acclaimed writer and director, Nisha Pahuja as she reflects on the filmmaking process that surrounds the creation of her work and on the importance of supportive infrastructures as a grounding for shared ethical practices.
A 2024 Oscar nominee, and winner of 27 awards at festivals around the world, To Kill a Tiger is about one family’s pursuit for justice for their 13-year-old daughter, a survivor of sexual violence, set within the broader social context of systemic inequality and the violence that it produces. Nisha will highlight her own process of reflexivity and the ensuing practical responses to navigating the complex ethical terrains in the making of this film. We will delve into subjects such as the logic of “bearing witness”, how we determine which stories are “ours” to tell and the documentary film’s commitment to societal impact.
Nisha Pahuja
Nisha Pahuja is an Oscar-nominated, Peabody and Emmy-nominated filmmaker based in Toronto. Her latest film, To Kill a Tiger, had its world premiere at TIFF where it won the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. Since then, it’s garnered 27 awards including the Best Documentary Feature, Palm Springs International Film Festival and three Canadian Screen awards. The film grew out of a long career of addressing various human rights issues, notably violence against women in India. In 2015, she won the Amnesty International media award for Canadian journalism after making a short film about the Delhi bus gang rape for Global News.
Pahuja’s other past credits include the multi-award-winning The World Before Her (2012 Best Documentary Feature, Jury Award Winner, Tribeca Film Festival; Best Canadian Documentary, Hot Docs; TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten; Best Documentary nominee, Canadian Screen Awards), the series Diamond Road (2008 Gemini Award for Best Documentary Series) and Bollywood Bound (2002 Gemini Award nominee).