Sapna Bhavnani, a celebrity hairstylist and now an on-hand filmmaker, who recently announced the third edition of Wench film festival which will be held physically, gets candid with The Pioneer about the film festival, why she chose a ‘horror film festival’, representation of women in this specific genre, and more.
Shikha Duggal
With a strong sense of morality, not afraid to call people out, and never hesitating to express herself, Sapna Bhavnani, a celebrity hairstylist, and now an on hand filmmaker, is enthusiastically hosting something very compulsive for cinegoers.
Setting afloat the third edition of the Wench film festival, chill out; we are spilling the beans! India’s first horror film festival showcasing films inclusive of BIWOC, LGBTQ+ women, and non-binary filmmakers, founded by her, will be held physically for the first time in addition to a few virtual screenings.
Are you pleased? C’mon, there’s more to it! Rode to school on a motorcycle, liked pulling pranks, and was a natural-born feminist—all these attributes couldn’t stop us from interviewing Sapna, who initially worked as a waitress before enrolling herself as a business student!
Revealing to us along the lines of some highlights from the festival, she says, “Nothing has happened instantaneously; I switched to directing short films over a decade ago. I own a production house!”
But halfway through “a horror film festival,” it afflicted our minds. We were curious as to why horror? She responds, “I enjoy the thrill of being scared (she chortled). This genre helps me self-actualise through the expression of the gift of courage in the face of fear. Soon, I found out about the big news coming my way: I was the first Indian woman to be selected for the Korean horror market for my story.” She was bringing glory to an irresistible, memorable, and shareable experience for the viewers.
Somewhere down the line, this must have encouraged the double major in marketing and communication and the minor in public speaking to also highlight the importance of women’s representation in this specific genre.
She continued, “In the process of writing my new film Bearlike Man, I realised a palpable lack of female representation in the genre outfit of India. Over the three decades I looked at, 9.9% of directors were women. Horror comes with just 5.9% of directors being women, and sci-fi with 2.8%. I find this statistic offensive! When I found out I was the first Indian woman director to pitch at BIFAN, I knew I had to change gears and move the female gaze into the genre space that has eluded it for a long time.”
Not just that, even the film festival’s name has sentiments attached to it! She enlightened us, “The term wench was a very neutral term — harmlessly meant to designate youth while signifying femininity. But what was this middle English term doing rounds on sexual exploitation? I researched, realized it’s being used as transgressive feminine sexuality, and finally black feminine sexuality these days. The original meaning of the term was totally destroyed! I am taking the connotation back and representing it in a positive light, as it should be.”
With so many applying to the same festivals again and again, many deserving films go undiscovered. Here is why the Wench film festival is here: to not just highlight women but also to celebrate the genre space that has been in our blood since birth. Presently, as per our conversation, we don’t think Sapna Bhavnani is thinking of the biggest and flashiest film festivals, but “indie filmmaker-friendly festivals that go the extra mile to roll out the red carpet for us lock the deal for me.
These sorts of festivals offer us tremendous opportunities, celebrate the achievements of independent filmmakers, and show everyone what they are capable of creating on a global stage. That’s what I desperately want! India is a country of many religions, and each has their own superstitions and rituals, so we are amazed that we don’t have a festival yet. We are happy to start the conversation, and like all things that start first, building the foundation is of utmost importance, as is collaborating with people who have been instrumental in building the genre space.”
Her father died when she was just 18 years old. Following her father’s death, her family started facing financial difficulties too, but Sapna became one of a kind. She’s self-sufficient today. She started working as a celebrity hairstylist, where she flourished immensely. She also began writing as a columnist for the Mumbai Mirror before moving on to the Mid-Day newspaper.
She opened her first hair salon called Mad-O-Wot! Created her own fashion line in collaboration with fashion designer Sukriti Grover, authored a non-fiction self-help book targeted to teen girls, organized an art project that was a fusion of hair, fashion, and photography, along with designer Masaba Gupta, has actively endorsed PETA’s cause for a humane approach to animals, and the list continues.
