festivals

Omi Vaidya in Person. This eye-opening documentary reveals the fascinating world of Indian cinema, and the culture around it, in a way you’ve never seen before.

This family-friendly Tamil film mixes comedy, romance, melodrama and musical montage sequences to serve up a gentle satire of rural traditions and superstitions.

Lyrical romance and lush cinematography intermingle in this neorealist feature debut that was a major award winner at the Sundance Film Festival. Syeed intricately weaves together contemporary ecological issues with traditional culture, as an unlikely romance blossoms between a boatman and a scientist on the breathtaking Dal Lake in Kashmir.

Surjo Deb in Person. Part gossip, part intellectual debate, adda is the quintessential Bengali pastime. Following a number of ongoing addas at street corners, cafes, markets and living rooms, this documentary by Surjo Deb is a free-flowing, intimate portrait of a city and its people in a time of transition: as the Calcutta of old turns into the 21st century Kolkata.

Tuni Chatterji in Person. Two docs that can only be described as visual poetry. A contemplative dialogue between music, landscape and the ephemeral quality of cinema, Okul Nodi (Tuni Chatterji) seeks the origins of Bhatiyali, the river music of Bangladesh. Shot on exquisite 35mm, I Am Micro (Shumona Goel/Shai Heredia) invokes the memories of an experimental filmmaker to deliver an ode to independent cinema.

In this doc, a companion piece to City of Photos, Jain interviews members from Calcutta’s oldest families and captures the stories around their family albums. What emerges is a powerful meditation on the tangled relationship between memory, history, and the photograph.

Angad Bhalla in Person Bhalla explores the injustice of solitary confinement and the transformative power of art in this must-see documentary that was an official selection of the Sundance Institute and the prestigious HotDocs festival. The film follows the unlikely friendship between a New York artist and one of America’s most famous inmates as they collaborate on an acclaimed art project. Panel discussion following film.

Starring Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor and co-directed by Bengali theatre legend Sombhu Mitra, this satire on the Indian middle class follows a poor migrant’s search for a drink of water. The outstanding songs feature Salil Choudary’s score and Shailendra’s poetry.

Mandeep Sethi and Harjant Gill in PersonThree American-Sikhs assert and articulate their identity from a male perspective: Mandeep Sethi’s Sikligar reveals the hidden story of Sikh weapon makers; Harjant Gill’s Roots of Love examines the changing significance of the turban; and Christina Antonakos-Wallace’s Article of Faith is the portrait of activist Sonny Singh who inspires young American-Sikhs to stand up for themselves.

Bollywood at the Castro A great cocktail needs the right mix - and this one only delivers but packs a punch, and a twist! Homi Adjania takes the classic masala love triangle - complete with song and dance and high camp - and gives it a modern flavor in this recent blockbuster from Bollywood.