Renowned Indian actress and activist Shabana Azmi is set to travel to France to participate in the prestigious 46th Festival des 3 Continents, a significant cultural event that celebrates global cinema. This year, Azmi will be honored with a special retrospective highlighting her illustrious 50-year career in Hindi cinema, marking a milestone in her celebrated journey.
The retrospective will feature a selection of her most acclaimed films, including Ankur, Mandi, Masoom, and Arth, paying tribute to her exceptional talent and versatility as an actress. Azmi’s films have long resonated with audiences in France, where she has previously received acclaim at esteemed venues such as the Centre Pompidou and the Cinémathèque, as well as the Nantes Festival des 3 Continents, where her film Godmother was the opening night feature.
2024 marks 50 glorious years of Azmi’s career, a remarkable achievement recently acknowledged with a prestigious award for Excellence in Cinema at the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI). She is the only actress to have won five National Film Awards for Best Actress and has also received numerous Filmfare Awards. Her international acclaim includes notable performances in Madame Sousatzka (1988), City of Joy (1992), and Son of the Pink Panther (1993). In recognition of her contributions to the arts, she has been awarded the Padma Shri (1988) and the Padma Bhushan (2012), two of India’s highest civilian honors.
Taking to social media, Shabana Azmi shared this picture:
In addition to her cinematic achievements, Azmi is recognized for her commitment to social causes. In 1989, she was honored at the Biennale of Human Rights in France, selected as one of 16 women alongside notable figures such as Mother Teresa, Rigoberta Menchú, and Albertina Sisulu. The honor, presented by President François Mitterrand, acknowledged her significant work as a housing rights and women’s rights activist, demonstrating her dedication to using cinema as a powerful medium for social change.
The Festival des 3 Continents, held annually in Nantes, showcases films from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, promoting cultural diversity and fostering dialogue among filmmakers and audiences from around the world.
