3rd i Films is proud to present two films at the international documentary film festival UNAFF 2016 in Palo Alto.
Petals in the Dust: The Endangered Indian Girls
(89 minutes) Canada/India/US [watch trailer]
When: Saturday, October 22, 2016, 2:50 pm
Where: Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Director: Nyna Pais Caputi
Producers: Gino Caputi, Nyna Pais Caputi
Petals in the Dust: The Endangered Indian Girls is a filmmaker’s personal journey to understand and shed light on the origins and the enormity of the war against Indian women. The film examines the condition of an endangered class of people living in one of the most populous, culturally and economic vibrant countries: modern India. They come from all walks of life and share only one common trait: they are female. A patriarchal mindset, a preference for sons and a deep-seated intolerance has led to the murder of fifty million girls and women in India in the last century. They continue to lose their lives in this century to infanticide, sex-selective abortions, starvation and medical neglect, dowry deaths and brutal gang rapes. The declining female population is also leading to increased crimes against women including trafficking and bride buying. By 2020 there will be twenty percent more men than women in India. The film explores the cultural origins of this vast genocidal crime and includes the voices of activists and gender experts as well survivors of these gender crimes who have struggled to build meaningful lives. By bringing this issue out into the open, the filmmakers hope to light the spark of resistance to this culture of gender violence and extermination, mobilize the Indian and international communities into getting involved in ending this “gendercide” and to encourage a new generation of Indian citizens to value and respect their daughters, wives and the women in the community.
Biography:
Nyna Pais Caputi has worked on several short award-winning films including DCBA-Desi Confused by America, Able and Gentle Lovers. She is a Bay Area Video Coalition 2013 media-maker fellow. She also founded the Global Walk for India’s Missing Girls in 2010, an international awareness campaign on the violence and genocide of Indian women that has taken place in over twenty-five cities and five countries.
The Learning Alliance
(9 minutes) Pakistan
When: Saturday, October 22, 2016, 11:15 am
Where: Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Director: Muhammad Umar Saeed
Producers: Muhammad Farrukh Saeed, Muhammad Umar Saeed
Collecting garbage to pay their fees for school. Three brothers who are changing their future by studying and at the same time selling garbage in Lahore, Pakistan. The Learning Alliance is a portrait of children with dreams and their struggle towards achieving them.
Biography:
Muhammad Umar Saeed’s documentaries and short films have been screened in film festivals around the globe. Umar was part of the Sesame Street production in Pakistan (a project by USAID). He is also curating and programming film festivals in Lahore. The Learning Alliance is his latest documentary.
