By Arundhuti Banerjee

Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS): Lately, with films such as "Bombay Rose", "Dolly Kitty And Those Twinkling Stars" and "The Sky Is Pink", women filmmakers of India are gaining huge visibility at international film festivals. Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee now joins the ranks of women calling the shots in Bollywood. She is all set to make her directorial debut with the film "Roam Rome Mein".

"I have been observing that, over the past few years, our films are getting recognition in A-list film festivals. We see a significant number of representation from India. These films tell interesting stories and many of these films come from female filmmakers. I think there is a change in a positive direction," Tannishtha told IANS.

Her directorial debut "Roam Rome Mein", featuring National Award-winning actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, has been screened at Busan International Film Festival.

Filmmakers such as Gitanjali Rao, Alankrita Shrivastava and Shonali Bose have also been making a mark in the festival circuit.

Tannishtha says the advent of digital technology has helped many filmmakers to celebrate innovative storytelling.

"Shooting a film is not expensive anymore, so many storytellers have gained the confidence to experiment, which in turn opens the doors for new stories and budding talents to come out fearlessly. Look at Rima Das (the National award-winning director of 'Village Rockstars' and 'Bulbul Can Sing'), who made two absolutely delightful films that have been celebrated at international film festivals and have received appreciation from the global audience. She did everything by herself -- from writing and shooting her films to editing them. It is a joy to see women filmmakers getting much-deserved visibility," added Tannishtha.