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).
A delightful and heart-warming dramatic comedy that paints a vivid portrait of urban street kids, with hope and initiative. In a Chennai slum, two young brothers set out to realize their dream: to get their first taste of pizza. While reminiscent of Slumdog Millionaire, this film finds a way to shift the lens to an exuberantly Indian perspective.
Introduced by Prof. Gitanjali Shahani, English Dept., SFSU Vishal Bharadwaj's acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare – Haider – brings the passion of Hamlet to life by masterfully fusing Bollywood scale and spectacle with indie sensibilities. Basharat Peer's brilliant script transposes the Shakespearean classic to the conflict in Kashmir. With stand-out performances by Shahid Kapoor (Jab We Met, Dil Bole Hadippa), Tabu (Life of Pi, The Namesake), and Irrfan Khan (The Lunchbox, Slumdog Millionaire).
Winner of the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor, the Palme D'Or, Jacques Audiard's (A Prophet) latest film is an immensely powerful work that celebrates the human spirit. A former soldier, a young woman, and a little girl, pose as a family so they can immigrate into France. They end up settling in a housing project outside Paris – but it turns out that they've just left one conflict zone for another.
Live Performance! Followed by Q&A with Fawzia Mirza Told through the lens of two women’s shared love for glamorous Bollywood film star Sharmila Tagore, Me, My Mom, and Sharmila is a hilarious and heartbreaking coming-of-age story peppered with personal anecdotes, pop culture and more! Writer-performer Fawzia Mirza's dynamic piece chronicles her struggle to connect with her mother as she grapples with her own emerging identity as a queer woman of color.
Followed by Skype Q&A with filmmaker 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.
3rd i’s 13th annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival starts Oct 22, 2015.
3rd i co-presents Under the Same Sun at the Mill Valley Film Festival. In Mitra Sen’s profoundly compassionate drama, only children can soothe the rage of a grieving heart.
3rd i co-presents Under the Same Sun at the Mill Valley Film Festival. In Mitra Sen’s profoundly compassionate drama, only children can soothe the rage of a grieving heart.
3rd i co-presents Under the Same Sun at the Mill Valley Film Festival. In Mitra Sen’s profoundly compassionate drama, only children can soothe the rage of a grieving heart.
A documentary which captures the magic of the innovative collaboration between Pt. Chitresh Das, Indian master kathak dancer, and Jason Samuels Smith, an African American tap dancer.
This multi-media presentation by Anuj Vaidya takes you on a journey through contemporary queer artistic production in India, especially works interested in forging connections with the non-human.
3rd i Films presents 'Other Species, Other Times' - a program of new video art from India featuring works by Ranbir Kaleka, Sonia Khurana, Nikhil Chopra/Munir Kabani, Neha Choksi, Tejal Shah, Sahej Rahal, and Shambavi Kaul.
Laila is an aspiring writer and NYU transplant, via Delhi University, whose cerebral palsy is a footnote to her other achievements. When she falls for a fiery female activist, her creative and personal boundaries are tested.
Laila is an aspiring writer and NYU transplant, via Delhi University, whose cerebral palsy is a footnote to her other achievements. When she falls for a fiery female activist, her creative and personal boundaries are tested.
