'Women can tell their stories in their own ways'

Watching the world premiere of our movie with viewers yesterday was an awe inspiring experience which will remain etched in our hearts forever. It was our first time watching the film with an audience and it was amazing to see that they loved the movie." 'Rafaela' actor Judith Rodriguez was thrilled as she shared her experience on her film that was premiered at the 52nd International Film Festival of India.

Judith explained how the idea of Rafaela sprouted 10 years ago and how a short film, finally evolved into a full length feature film. "The Journey of Rafaela started and grew with me," she added

Speaking about the message she wanted to convey to her audience, she said that, "It is just a story of a girl who is trying to find a better place for her as well as her family. I think women have the power to tell their stories in their own way, with their own unique sensibilities and sensitivities to see and experience the reality. We need more and more women to come out and tell stories from their own point of view."

She encouraged women film makers and technicians to come forward and use this strong and effective platform of cinema to narrate their stories to the world. "It is beautiful to have the liberty to create how we want to see things in the world," Judith spoke about the power of films and filmmaking and the immense possibility of changing the world for better, through art.

She also said how inspiring it is to see women playing different roles professionally in the changing world – be it a camera person, journalist and so on. "You people inspire us and in turn we inspire you with our films," she remarked.

She also shared her experience of watching Slumdog Millionaire for the first time and how she could easily relate to the characters. She was talking about how every film speaks about the stories of not just one person or the character but every one watching it. It is a shared experience, says Judith.