SBS set to pick up doco on Indian honour killings
A new feature documentary by director Bill Bennett about a protection group for multicultural Indian couples is due to be picked up by SBS.
The documentary, called Love Commandos will be produced by Bennett and Anupam Sharma with Peter Abbott of Freehand executive producing.
With a letter of intent from SBS, the documentary has come off the back of research for Bennett and Sharma’s forthcoming feature film Defiant, starring Toni Collette and Dev Patel.
The two films have been the result of multiple trips to India for Sharma and Bennett interviewing and researching around the topic of honour killings.
Sharma said that it’s a 360 approach to the subject matter, which also will include a social and digital platform.
Sharma told Encore: “At the moment its a 360 approach, It’s an Indian project and in line with an Indian goddess, it has many arms.”
Explaining the project, Sharma said: “While we were researching Defiant we discovered Love Commandos. Some of the right wing morons started troubling couples walking hand-in-hand and saying it’s against Islamic code.
“Love Comandos was an independent project to help those couples. They provide shelter for people who are running away from families in the face of honour killings.”
Defiant tells the story of Collette as journalist Sally Lane who becomes involved when researching the honour killings and risks her own life to save a young couple on the run.
Sharma said the digital aspect has interest from NGOs in Australia, India and around the globe to invest with the aim to build a social and digital platform to aid those threatened by honour killings.
“Even if you are poor in India, access to mobiles is pretty high. Usually social media campaigns are to promote the film, this will be to promote the issue – the film will get promoted through the distributor.
