User reviews

One can't help being impressed by the energy and courage of the ladies featured in this interesting Indian documentary. The production is a little rough and the message slightly forced - all totally forgivable. The plight of these scorned females and their subjects is terrible and it is uplifting to watch their accomplishments in News, against the odds and really, starting from below scratch. There are personalities here- an aggressive, foot in the door, 'where's the blood?' young reporter; another lost in naivety, bewildered by the letter E or the use of a cell phone, patiently mentored til at the end she seemed to have a gentle, innocent and intelligent grasp of the process.

Modi's ascension is in the background and you muse on the morphs of "Democracy" and the "Separation of Church and State" here, and the world now. To see how others live in this incredible country- the dust, cooking on the concrete floor, the not unpleasant grumbling from the News-Widow husband, is worth watching. Good luck to them.

'Writing with Fire' tells the story of an all-female, lower caste team of journalists working in modern day India. They have many bleak things to tell of; but the overall tone is an uplifting story of self-empowerment. The rise of Modi is a clear backdrop to the story, and the journalists featured clearly dislike his vision for India, but it would have been interested to get a more explicit explanation of the mapping between traditional power structures and the Indian political parties. I would also have liked to understand more of the economics of the business. As it is, this documentary about journalists isn't quite as interesting as the stories we see them reporting on.

Very relevant and important. However, I expect something more cinematograohic from an Oscar nominee.

My top

1 (tie) - Summer of Soul 1 (tie) - Flee 3 - Attica (Big gap) 4 - Ascension 5 - Writing with Fire.

Nice documentary but enough of the over the top gushing.

Traditionally, I alway think of India as a nation littered with newspaper journalism but I hadn't quite clocked that the vast majority of that was run by men higher up the caste system than the "untouchable" Dalit women who decided to set up their own publication in the northern province of Uttar Pradesh. The three who feature here are pretty fearless when it comes to investigating the violence against women that goes largely unreported - it's certainly not investigated by a police force indifferent at best to the plight of many whose attacks are seen as settling disputes about family "honour". This documentary is set against a backdrop of forthcoming elections in which the existing Government is widely expected to be returned to office, but their questions of those in authority and of those ordinary people on the street offers us quite an indictment of generational attitudes that haven't changed in centuries. The purpose here is to expose the situation many women experience as being akin to those of chattels or property; indeed the root of many of their challenges seems to stem from an historical situation in which they were considered the property of their fathers or their husbands - property to be used, abused, traded or neglected as they saw fit. Meera Devi is determined to shine some light on those abhorrences and at some risk to herself and her fellow journalists, attempts to tackle attitudes amongst many ill-educated contemporaries. It's also quite an interesting look at just how the fixed media days are declining and at how quickly they can galvanise opinion on social media and how potently those technologies can influence the decisions of politicians, police and the judiciary when it comes to equality and fair treatment under the selectively applied law. The intimate style of the documentary gets us into the thick of things and the interview techniques come across as plausible and at times quite heart-rending. She asks "What has God to do with politics" to one man. Now there is a question.

Loved the Documentary

This Movie Will inspire more movie maker to Explore such contrast colour Of our indian society Will leave a deep impact.

I really hope this movie wins the Oscar.

A powerful documentary film capturing the story of the women journalists at Khabar Lahariya, India's only all-female-run news organization and what it means to be a woman and a journalist in the marginalized communities today.

The movie has perfectly captured the India's millennia-old caste system, traditions, sexual violence against women and corruption. A powerhouse of a movie, clearly showcasing that there is no limit to what a woman can accomplish - what empowerment really means!

A simply wonderful movie about super courageous women journalists in India.

Proof certain that even the least powerful people in a society, can still hold that society accountable and effect change.

Khabar Lehariya is a newspaper and news channel run entirely by women. The film focuses on the story of 3 strong, intelligent and fierce reporters that work for KL and their journeys. Based in rural Uttar Pradesh, India, the film presents everything these women go through in a predominantly male profession, and the challenges of being a working woman in rural India. Throughout the film you'll find yourself cheering for every single one of the women - not because the film makes you, but you just want to. While the women are most definitely inspiring, my favourite part of the movie was the story telling and the direction. The film makers don't tell you how and what to feel. They present the story exactly how it is - no leading and no directed messages. The audience gets to decide how they feel about the story. "Writing with Fire" is an absolute Masterpiece and deserves every award, accolade and then some! Kudos to the film makers and the women of Khabar Lehariya!

Excellent documentary ! Just how difficult it is on day to day basis for a women to work specially being Dalit in a much oppressed country.

She has to be calm and listen to the patriarchy day in and day out.

We did a Sundance watch-party with friends and Writing With Fire was the stand-out title from this year's festival for ALL of us! Coming from India, what stood out for me was how multiple themes were nuanced, framed and contextualised. Unlike many films from the subcontinent, this didn't really feel like a 'documentary' - just amazing scenes playing out one after the other and we were all vying for each character. No typical, infuriating India story/ India's Daughter BS! Sunita was my fave! Gorgeously shot. Just loved everything about this.

I hope this can come to the US for an in-person theatrical! That'd be awesome! You already have 17 big fans from NYU here rooting for you!!!

Writing with Fire paints a powerful picture of some of society's most neglected finding a voice and lifting themselves up with a little help from technology and a lot of sheer guts and effort. The documentary provides "fly on the wall" coverage of the women of Khabar Lahariya (KL) as they go about investigating and reporting on a number of stories. This is well interwoven with first-person narrative and reflection by the primary protagonists as well as snippets from their day-to-day lives. The only direct narrative from the film-makers are a few captions - mostly places, events, dates. The result is an under-stated and authentic account that, for the most part, shies away from theatrics or embellishment. Events like a severed head are covered with empathy and sensitivity, but without the need for gory, voyeuristic detail. The challenges and dangers these women face in their work and even at home are palpable, but never graphic.

The other fascinating aspect of this story is how a group of rural women learn and embrace technology - smart phones, social media, digital editing and distribution channels - in order to empower themselves and expand their impact. Digital Transformation gurus - take note!

The latter part of the documentary does focus on the rise to power of BJP - India's ruling political part. The women of KL candidly discuss concerns as they go about covering events and people associated with BJP. This part of the narrative may unfortunately raise political and religious ire and cause some backlash. It is worth remembering that the fight these women are fighting goes back centuries. Current politics is just the latest curve in a very long road. It is not the centerpiece of this narrative.

While I would definitely recommend this documentary, I do have a couple of minor criticisms. I found the narrative a little choppy and a little slow in some places. Also, the subtitles are sometimes not accurate. "I like it" becomes "I am so happy" (10th minute). Elsewhere, a wistful lament becomes a harsh criticism (28th minute). But these are minor defects that take little away from the whole.

Starting, ball park, 1500 BCE four social hierarchy castes (priests, warriors, traders, laborers) were instituted in India, oh, and something even lower, Dalits. So impure, deemed untouchable, they were excluded from the hierarchy. Female Dalits had it even worse.

2002 in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh a newspaper (Khabar Lahariya) was started to bring into the open the abuse of Dalit women where it is common for these women to be raped multiple times by men in their villages. Police often do nothing.

Film quotes: Journalism is the essence of democracy. Women face the greatest injustice everywhere. Sometimes I think it's a sin to be born a woman. First a burden to her parents then a slave to her husband. Many rape cases are rooted in the idea of lost honor. In India the family suffers socially if the daughter doesn't marry. Since 2014 40+ journalists have been killed in India; one of the worst countries.

A powerful story told by a female journalist that what it is like being a journalist in a male dominated world it tells a passionate work of art evryone should watch this don't miss it.