Premiering to a standing ovation at the Busan Film Festival, "Aligarh" is one of the most vital films to come out of India in recent years. Based on the true story of Dr. Siras, a linguistics professor who faced suspension due to his sexual orientation, the film is a heartfelt demand for the right to love, and a poetic call to transcend identity.
3rd i's Saturday Night at the Castro!! "Parched" takes the riot of Bollywood and infuses it with an indie vision in this warm and incisive film that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year. Leena Yadav examines the complex lived experiences of women in India through the strident lens of "sex in the village" and produces a film that is raucously full of girl power.
Join us for a special reception at the Castro Mezzanine, with desserts and drinks, and meet all the festival filmmakers up close and personal!
Director Sami Khan and Actor Rupak Ginn in Person!! Featuring stunning cinematography, Sami Khan's outstanding feature Khoya is a nuanced thriller about the universal quest to find home and belonging. When Rog Moreau’s mother dies, the adoptive ties to his Canadian identity begin to feel tenuous, setting him off on a journey to India to unravel the mystery surrounding his adoption.
Director Shilpa Ranade and Musician Narayan Parasuram in Person!! Set in a world full of vibrant music and color, Shilpa Ranade’s magical film is an animated adaptation of one of Indian master Satyajit Ray's most beloved works, and premiered to great acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival. This timeless fable follows the hilarious misadventures of Goopi and Bagha, two tuneless musicians banished from their villages for their cacophonous music.
Aadish Keluskar’s bold and innovative "Kaul" can only be described as a truly transformative cinematic experience. Deeply inspired by the films of Tarkovsky and Bela Tarr, and firmly rooted in a Marathi milieu, Keluskar delivers a uniquely visceral film that brings equal measure of the surreal and the sublime.
Skype Q&A with Amit Gupta!! Set in London, Amit Gupta's witty script produces a romantic comedy that echoes the best of Woody Allen. Jay is a former daytime TV star whose life has hit rock bottom until he meets his dream girl. Hannah is bright, beautiful and hates modern life. There's just one problem. How does Jay tell Hannah about the leaked sex tape which made him an internet sensation?
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. Preceded by Ashim Ahluwalia's short, "Events in a Cloud Chamber."
Set along the picturesque Ganges river in Benaras, "Masaan" (an Anurag Kashyap production) weaves together two stories concerning the effect of narrow-minded tradition on the budding desires of youth.
Digitally Restored Version! Set in a picturesque town in Rajasthan, Kamal Swaroop's cult classic chronicles the coming-of-age of Om, a young boy interested in magic and religion. Touted as "the great Indian LSD trip," the film premiered to rave reviews at the Berlin Film Festival in 1988, and has since then achieved mythological status in India, influencing a whole generation of filmmakers.
An unparalleled and exclusive look into one of the most iconic musicians of our time – A.R. Rahman. Renowned in the West for his Oscar-winning soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire and his work with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rahman is a household name in India. In this doc, he talks about his work and life experiences in unprecedented personal terms, and provides a glimpse into the spirituality that drives his genius.
Followed by panel discussion with filmmaker Nyna Pais Caputi's empowering doc examines the condition of an endangered class of people in modern India – women. It is estimated that by 2020 there will be 20 percent more men than women in India! This doc attempts to shed light on the enormous problems of gender violence by exploring its cultural origins, and by profiling the unimaginable stories of brave survivors.
Followed by Q&A with filmmaker, and panel discussion organized by 1947 Partition Archive The 1947 Partition stands as the largest human displacement in history: over 2 million people lost their lives, while 14 million were displaced. Infused with music and poetry, Mara Ahmed's A Thin Wall (India/Pakistan, 2015, 64 mins) is a documentary about memory, history and the possibility of reconciliation with lessons that remain urgently relevant even today.
Secret Screening Followed by Q&A with filmmaker & cast A smart and sassy comedy, featuring show-stopping performances by Pia Shah and Emily C. Chang, this project-in-development from Tanuj Chopra (director of Punching at the Sun, and shorts Pia and Clap, Clap) is a 'high'-light of the festival. This 'secret' work-in-progress screening will be followed by a talkback with the talent. We'll bring the director, the actresses, and the editor - you bring Mary Jane.
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!
Followed by Q&A with the filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage's (With You, Without You, SFISAFF 2013) thought-provoking film is a carefully crafted indictment of institutionalized forms of power that follows the story of two women who seek justice for being sexually abused by a Judge. An excellent analysis of how patriarchy and power work together to infect the courts, the media and the lives of Sri Lanka's most disenfranchised citizens.
Lyrical and intimate, this unique cinematic experience delves into the lives of an ordinary couple whose competing work schedules keep them apart. Sengupta's arresting visuals build into a beautiful, dreamlike crescendo, while the resonant soundscape and retro score fill the silences with deep emotional textures. An ode to so many labors of love, including that of cinema, this film is a must-see for cinephiles.
Join us for Bollywood at the Castro - one of the most popular events at the festival! This year's inter-stellar offering takes Bollywood exuberance in a whole new direction apt for the 21st century. Superstar Aamir Khan shines as the titular PK, an inquisitive space alien who lands on Earth and shakes up society, in director Rajkumar Hirani’s (3 idiots) subversive comedy.
Join us for a special reception at the Castro Mezzanine following the screening of the film Tigers, and meet festival guests up close and personal! Enjoy food and drinks, and let the DJ get your feet wet for our Bollywood at the Castro screening of PK.
Followed by Q&A with Syed Raza Aamir Hussain and Shaftaq Batool Raza, the real-life heroes behind the story A gripping feature film based on the true story of a young Pakistani salesman who challenges the system when he discovers the devastating effects of the infant formula he is selling. Bollywood star Emraan Hashmi (The Dirty Picture) and National Award-winning actress Geetanjali Thapa (Liar's Dice) bring pathos, nuance and passion to their roles, in the hands of Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic (No Man's Land).
