Bay Area Premiers
Followed by Q&A with Bay Area filmmakers
From the streets of San Francisco to a Parsee home in Bombay, from gorgeously animated watercolors to hip-hop music video, from queer comedy to social documentary, this year’s outstanding set of shorts offer us profiles of culture, celebration, courage and change!
A Bay Area Ballerina Comes of Age (Abhi Singh, USA, 2015, 3 mins) An evocative portrait of ballet-dancer Miko Fogarty (of Orinda, CA) that captures the spirit of her art and the spirit of San Francisco, with grace.
Safar/Journey (Pratyusha Gupta, India, 2013, 26 mins) Gouri leaves a tainted past behind to start anew as a maid in a Parsee household, in this nuanced exploration of the challenges and triumphs of starting over.
Sugarless Tea (Sai Selvarajan, USA, 2015, 4.5 mins) A tale of separated brothers takes us on a journey from Queens, NY to India, in this gorgeously animated short with watercolors (by Amanda Selvarajan) that evokes travelogues and bedtime stories.
Reclaiming Pakistan (Lisa Donato, USA, 2015, 8 mins) Narrated by Fawzia Mirza, this documentary sheds light on the social revolution sparked in Pakistan by civil-rights activist Mohammad Jibran Nasir, and the organization Pakistan for All.
The First Session (Ryan Logan, USA, 2015, 6 mins) Two women attempt to repair their relationship with the help of an unconventional therapist and the healing power of the mango in this hilarious short featuring the dynamic Fawzia Mirza.
Mardistan/Macholand (Harjant Gill, India, 2014, 28 mins) An exploration of masculinity articulated through the voices of four men from different generations and backgrounds in Punjab, this eye-opening doc explores how both men and women are enmeshed in issues of gender violence.
IVIVI (Superwoman & Humble The Poet, Canada, 2015, 4.5 mins) These sensations from Canada have putdesi hip-hop into major Youtube circulation – watch them celebrate Toronto and it’s peeps in this hella cool music video!
Mission Critical: Keeping Carnaval a Neighborhood Thing (Abhi Singh, USA, 2015, 4 mins) This jubilant portrait of a Latino tradition in San Francisco’s Mission District captures the explosion of music and dance, as well as the undertow of worry as local residents negotiate gentrification.
Safar/Journey trailer
Safar Official Trailer from Pratyusha Gupta on Vimeo.
Sugarless Tea trailer
Sugarless Tea | Official Trailer from Lucky Post on Vimeo.
Mardistan/Macholand trailer
