This intimate and poetic gem captures the miracle of cinema in its purest sense, and the timelessness of a tradition that has existed in India for decades - the traveling tent cinema.
Bay Area Filmmakers in Person! Snappy, sexy, and seriously modern, these three shorts series turn stereotypes about desis on their heads, and offer modern portraits of young South Asians in America.
Bay Area Filmmakers in Person! From light comedy to dark wit, this year's kaleidoscope of cinematic offerings engage the intimate, personal and the intellectual.
Filmmaker in Person! Filmmaker Naeem Mohaiemen brings his razor-sharp critique and keen awareness of global politics to the conversation, as he probes Peter Custers, a Dutch journalist who traveled half-way across the world to participate in a left-wing uprising in Bangladesh. With short Abu Ammar is Coming.
This smart and engaging black comedy finds humor in the tenuous nature of democracy. Conscientious clerk, Newton, must keep devious military personnel and oddball bureaucrats in check during election day in the conflict-ridden “tribal” area of Chhattisgarh.
Set amidst the stunning landscape of Ladakh, this mesmerizing doc is a tribute to the unbreakable bond between humans and animals, and captures a disappearing way of life that is deeply intertwined with nature.
Bollywood at the Castro!! Serving up a dazzling array of musical showstoppers and cameos by nearly every Bollywood star, "Om Shanti Om" is a blockbuster extravaganza for the ages. Director Farah Khan pulls out all the stops, and Shah Rukh Khan breaks out his disco moves in this star-studded tribute to the swinging 70's.
Dubbed the "Bernie Sanders of India," Arvind Kejriwal shook up the status quo of the Indian political system in the last national election. This revolutionary shift in India's mainstream political establishment is exposed in this gripping documentary. Followed by panel discussion.
Live multimedia performance! Accomplished musician and composer for film Gingger Shankar celebrates the life and work of her mother (Viji Shankar) and grandmother (Lakshmi Shankar) - renowned artists and close collaborators with Ravi Shankar and George Harrison (The Beatles).
Stylish and edgy, with a deep, dark twist, GURGAON is a neo-noir based on the true life story of a kidnapping gone awry, in the shiny outer reaches of the fast growing Delhi metropolis.
Filmmaker via Skype! In this gorgeous, multi-layered documentary about immigration and integration, Ali Kazimi ("A Continuous Journey") brilliantly weaves a rich tapestry of history and memory.
Filmmaker in Person! Deeply moving and smart, Arshad Khan’s outstanding documentary Abu is a quintessential immigrant story that captures the tumultuous journey of his family's move to Canada, from Pakistan, in the early 90s.
9:15PM SCREENING ADDED!! Skype Q&A with Nandita Das and Subodh Maskara! Nandita Das, one of India’s finest actresses, writes and stars in this stellar feature. A high-profile lawyer couple end up arguing on opposite sides of a criminal trial.
A charming portrait of one of the last hand-painters of colorful and dramatic Bollywood posters, "Original Copy" is an exemplary and insightful doc about the magic of cinema, and about the keepers of a disappearing artform in the face of India's changing film industry.
Starring legendary Pakistani actress Marina Khan (Tanhaiyan), Mehreen Jabbar's evocative and endearing "Lala Begum" is a complex and impressive drama that delves into the ghosts of Pakistan’s past. Two estranged sisters come to terms with their haunting past: the loves they shared, the sacrifices they made, and their struggles with the colonial heritage that defines their lives.
Followed by panel discussion!! Korla Pandit was a spiritual seeker and a godfather of exotica music who charmed American housewives on television in the 1950s. What lay behind Korla’s metaphysical musings and his enigmatic Indian facade? And what of the "dark secret" that he took with him to his grave in 1998? Find out in this fascinating and exotic tour through Pandit’s dizzying life.
A unique cinematic experience, "Gaalibeeja" is a meditation on cinema and modernity from an exciting new voice in Kannada cinema. While paying homage to the likes of Wim Wenders, Jim Jarmusch, and Abbas Kiarostami, artist-turned-filmmaker Prasad blends social critique with exquisite cinematic form in his take on the "road movie."
Bay Area Filmmakers in Person!! From power to pleasure, courage to comedy, this year's kaleidoscope of cinematic offerings engage the sexual and the sensual: a young man gathers strength to approach his crush, while a young woman plots a shocking escape from marriage; Audrey Lorde's poetry and Justin Bieber's music become fodder for queer interventions; and SF's Sexy Circus ponders its future.
Harune Massey in Person!! With echoes of Romeo and Juliet, "Gardaab" is a taut and stylized thriller about two lovers caught in a web of family and gang warfare in the underbelly of Karachi. Harune Massey's restrained direction offers a compelling meditation on love, and on the fragility of human life, and points to an exciting new wave of Pakistani filmmakers on the horizon.
Skype Q&A with Naeem Mohaiemen!! This striking and hypnotic documentary offers a fascinating interrogation of the legacy of radical left-wing movements. Using archival sound and surveillance video, Mohaiemen reconstructs the hijacking of an airplane at the hands of the Japanese Red Army in 1977, during which it was forced to land in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
