Latest Events
Women Representation in Electoral Politics: Association for Democratic Reforms – March 2021
Why is there a lack of women participation and representation in electoral politics? What are the barriers to entry for female political participation? How is female political participation portrayed in mainstream media?
Association for Democratic Reforms organised a webinar on “Women Representation in Electoral Politics: A lack of political will?” to explore these questions and more. Our founder, Anushka Shah, was part of the panel along with Dr. Malini Bhattacharya (Former MP from CPI(M)), Ms. Karuna Nundy (Advocate, Supreme Court of India), and Ms. Pooja Ganesh Thaokar (Sarpanch of Bela, Maharashtra), and this was moderated by Ms. Kamini Jaiswal (Sr. Advocate, Supreme Court of India)
Civic Media for Change: Eco Lens by Good Pitch India – November 2020
Our founder, Anushka Shah, spoke at ECO LENS, a first of its kind virtual media lab organized by Good Pitch India, on how citizen engagement through media can drive change in narratives of policy making and institutional reform around environmental issues.
Representation of Law and Order in Cinema: Media Rumble – October 2020
The good cop, the corrupt cop, and the vigilante- these are the common portrayals of law enforcement officials we see in Indian cinema. Do such portrayals increase public trust in these officers? What are the consequences? Does this inhibit or encourage people to enlist help from the police force in times of crisis?
Our founder, Anushka Shah, moderated a session with IPS officer Rema Rajeshwari and bestselling crime writer Hussain Zaidi at the 2020 edition of Newslaundry’s Media Rumble to explore these questions and more.
BIC Screens | A Place to Live: In conversation with film-maker Sanjiv Shah – October 2020
We had a chance to speak with film-maker Sanjiv Shah around his film A Place to Live, which looks at the housing crisis in India that has spanned across the past seventy years. Mr. Shah talked about his film, the challenges of state and non-state actors, the need to respect fundamental ecological rights of people, and the role of media in driving the conversation forward.
Masterclass on civic media and participation – August 2020
As part of the Godrej India Culture Lab Leadership Programme, our founder, Anushka Shah, took a Masterclass for the 2020 batch of Culture Lab Fellows on the potential of media narratives in shaping popular narratives on public institutions and ideas of democracy. She also shared her journey of starting Civic Studios, and our future plans as a production house. Hear a snippet of the class below, and to read the Lab team’s blog on key takeaways from the masterclass, click here.
Building civil society organizations for the future – July 2020
Good civics makes for livable and loveable cities! We spoke at a 2 day conference titled ‘Toxic environment and Toxic emotions’ organized by Arthan Careers. It was aimed at enabling conversation to create inclusive, liveable and sustainable cities, and support India’s ambitions of more effective and equitable urban management.
SEEING IS BELIEVING:
MAKING SENSE OF CUSTODIAL VIOLENCE IN INDIAN CINEMA – July 2020
Does the glorified representation of police brutality in our mainstream media have any impact on us as viewers? To unpack this question, we moderated a conversation with two eminent filmmakers, Vetrimaaran (Director of Visaaranai & Asuran) and Hansal Mehta (Director of Shahid & Aligarh). They shared anecdotes, on-ground insights, film-making advice and more to tease out this reel-to-real relationship. The webinar was hosted by Project 39A.
Crime and Punishment in Indian Entertainment – November 2019
Civic Studios held an event at the India Culture Lab, Mumbai to release a report on ‘Crime & Punishment in Indian Entertainment’. This was followed by a talk with well-known crime author Hussain Zaidi, and a panel discussion that brought together Neeraj Ghyawan (film-maker), Esha Paul (Vice Media producer), Devika Prasad (police reforms activist, CHRI) and Vijay Hiremath (human rights lawyer).
The Past, Present, and Future of Civic Entertainment – August 2018
Civic Studios and the MIT Media Lab held an event at the India Culture Lab, Mumbai to announce and sow the seeds of a community around civic entertainment. Amidst many others, this event brought together Professor Gopal Guru speaking on minority representation in the movie ‘Kaala’, MIT academic Ethan Zuckerman who gave a masterclass on civic entertainment, and comedian Rohan Joshi on civics and superheroes in popular media.
CS Quickies
Civic Studios x Dylan Mohan Gray – November 2020
We chatted with Dylan Mohan Gray, acclaimed documentary filmmaker, on his experience of directing the Vijal Mallya episode of the Netflix docu-series ‘Bad Boy Billionaires’, and its impact in driving conversations around the financial sector reform in India.
Civic Studios x My Story as a Woman – October 2020
As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, our Research Manager, Namrata Sharma, spoke with Shubha Nivedha of My Story as a Woman, a pro-bono legal clinic, on the media’s portrayal of domestic violence, and our research on audience perceptions of Bollywood film Thappad. Read more about our Thappad study here
Civic Studios x Retd. IPS Meeran Chadha Borwankar – October 2020
In the aftermath of the tragic Hathras case, we spoke with Retd. IPS Meeran Chadha Borwankar to understand the practical ways in which citizens can ensure justice, and the changes needed in the criminal justice system.
Civic Studios x of10 – July 2020
Roohi Bhatia, our content manager, had a quick chat with Umang of of10, a Mumbai-based co-working space, as part of their Insta Live series, on Civic Studios’ goals and our latest upcoming projects.
