Women's Film Screening: Teacher, The Tradition Bearer

Director: Indrani Kopal
Country: Malaysia
2017, Feature Documentary, 59 minutes
Language: English and Tamil with English subtitles
Age Suitability: All ages
After the screening, there will be an in-person sharing and Q&A session with Teacher Indira Manikam (30 minutes).

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This documentary presents an intimate portrait of Malaysia’s legendary Bharatanatyam dance teacher Indira Manikam, who has kept the sacred tradition alive, vibrant and relevant for the past 50 years.

Throughout her life, Indira has danced through barriers and dismantled old beliefs. After her marriage, she was barred from performing by her mother-in-law. Undeterred, she taught, choreographed and mentored many young Indian women, empowering them to shatter stereotypes.

Teacher, The Tradition Bearer explores the power of art and the courage and resilience of a woman’s spirit through various shades and vignettes that represent her joy, fear, powerlessness, courage and triumph.

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Additional & Accessibility Info

• Age Suitability: All ages.
• Language: The film will be in English and Tamil with English subtitle.

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Artist Bio

Indrani Kopal

An award-winning Malaysian documentary filmmaker, Indrani Kopal is a former video journalist at Malaysiakini.tv with over six years of experience in online media production. Her documentary The Game Changer has been accepted into 17 film festivals, winning Best Documentary at the prestigious Cannes’ American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase in Cannes, France.

Indira Manikam

Main cast member, invited guest for post-screening sharing and Q&A

Indira Manikam established the Tanjai Kamala Indira Dance School in 1966, which has become one of Malaysia’s leading dance schools. Not only has she staged many dance dramas and recitals over the years, she has also taught others about dance and its contribution to character building. As a dancer, teacher and choreographer, she has paved the way for the betterment of Malaysian youth through dance.

Moderator Bio

June Tan

June Tan is a producer, scriptwriter and member of arts collective Five Arts Centre. Besides stage managing, tour managing and producing, she was the Director for TPAM in Yokohama from 2018 to 2020, a platform reflecting contemporary thinking in Asia. 

She is active in ReformARTsi, a grassroots coalition seeking arts policy changes. June has also written for film (Interchange, Split Gravy) and for television on regional streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+.