Pink Saris (2010)

Sampat Pal is an activist for women in a place where the rights of women are still a subject of debate. Pal live and works in India, and is the leader of a group called the Gulbai Gang, who stage frequent protests in support of the rights of women, the abolition of India's caste system, the banning of arranged marriages involving underage girls, and bringing the ugly truths about violence against women to light. Pal and her colleagues are recognizable by the bright pink saris they wear, and in a society that demands decorum from women, she's fearlessly outspoken and not afraid to call attention to herself in the name of the right cause. Filmmaker Kim Longinotto profiles Sampat Pal and the Gulbai Gang, examining the group's spokeswoman as well as the social ills they're struggling to abolish, in the documentary Pink Saris, which also offers a look inside Pal's home where she houses a handful of women she's rescued from dire circumstances. Pink Saris received its North American premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi