The Forgotten Woman (La femme oubliee)

"The Forgotten Woman" is a documentary set in India which explores the destitution and marginalization of many of the millions of widows in India today who are forced by age-old traditions to live out their remaining years isolated from and shunned by the society at large. The film explores how these widows, coerced by their families to give up their possessions, become non-entities in society. It captures their lives in Ashrams and in the streets where they wander, seeking solace and greater dignity by devoting themselves to religious practices which were established centuries ago, as a way to atone for their sins which, it is believed, caused their husbands' deaths. Its aim is to create greater awareness of the fact that in the 21st century, there are still numerous and wide spread issues surrounding women's search for economic independence in order to attain a modicum of self-sufficiency and basic human dignity.