Press Release
For Immediate Release
October 5, 2006
Media Contact: Seema Arora, press@thirdi.org, 510.482.4350/415.835.4783
3rd I Brings Art House Bollywood to the Bay Area with its fourth Annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival (SFISAFF). It has been a rich year for South Asian film - Mistress of Spices, Water, Provoked, Namesake- and the SFISAFF will be showcasing more cutting edge new films as well as the full breadth of South Asian cinema, including and highlighting works by local South Asian filmmakers.
SAN FRANCISCO, October 5, 2006 - The fourth annual San Francisco
International South Asian Film Festival (SFISAFF) arrives this year on
November 10, 11 and 12, giving Bay Area moviegoers a sample of classic
Indian cinema, hard hitting social documentaries, innovative features
and the latest in Bollywood sizzle. SFISAFF features a number of
premiere screenings with appearances by filmmakers at a reception at
the Castro theatre.
The SFISAFF program opens at 7:15 pm on Friday, November 10 at the
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts with ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION & EMPIRE
(UK/France/Suisse, 2006), directed by Graham Geigenmueller. An
important film that takes us into the revolutionary world of the Asian
Dub Foundation (ADF) -- its music and philosophies were at the root of
the South Asian Underground movement in England. At 9:00 pm 3rdI
presents a uniquely diverse compilation of SOUTH ASIAN SHORT FILMS from
the Bay Area.
The festival gets into full swing on Saturday, November 11 at the
Castro Theatre with a 12:00 am screening of the winner of Cannes'
prestigious Camera d'Or and US premiere of The FORSAKEN LAND (Sulanga
enu Pinasa, Sri Lanka/ France, 2005). Vimukthi Jayasundara's Forsaken
Land is an exquisitely shot, visually stunning poetic drama, which
reveals its secrets gradually with painterly stylized compositions
reflecting the desolation of war.
The afternoon program continues at 2:30 pm with I FOR INDIA (UK, 2006),
directed by Sandhya Suri. The film is an artful, intimate and moving
time capsule that looks at the bittersweet expatriate Indian experience
in England with the use of archival footage and super 8 film. The
screening is followed by an invitation-only reception for filmmakers,
sponsors and special guests.
At 5:00 pm the festival continues with a brilliant adaptation of
Shakespeare's Othello in a contemporary Indian gangster setting --
OMKARA (India, 2006), directed by Vishal Bhardwaj is touted as a
masterpiece mix of art & commercial genres. It is a brooding and
beautifully cinematic film that stays true to Othello's central theme
of jealousy and obsession that wreaks havoc on personal and political
relationships. The evening celebrates full-on Bollywood at the Castro
at 8:15 pm, with the screening of the latest Kohan Johar (KKHH, K3G)
Bollywood feature, KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA (Never Say Goodbye, India,
2006). Premiered at the Toronto film festival, KANK goes where no
bollywood film has gone before in examining commitment, true love,
adultery and what is the correct path to take to find that true love.
And with its star-studded cast (irresistible Shah Rukh Khan and Rani
Mukherjee), fantasy sets and endearing musical scores, this adult drama
and love story will move you to cry, sing, laugh and dance. Perfect for
Bollywood devotees and novices alike!
The SFISAFF three-day program continues at the Roxie Theatre on Sunday
November 12, with more inspiring films. The screenings begin at 11:30
am with DIVIDED WE FALL: Americans in the Aftermath (USA, 2006),
directed by Sharat Raju and Valarie Kaur. Driven to action by the
brutal murder of a man from her Sikh community post 9/11, Valarie Kaur
sets out across the US to discover who counts as American in a world
divided into "us" and "them". At 2:30 pm we premiere BOMBAY CALLING
(Canada/India, 2006), by Samir Malla and Ben Addelman. The film is a
critical, sympathetic and eye-opening insider's look at call centers,
globalization and the growing American dream - Indian style. At 5:00 pm
we screen BETWEEN THE LINES: INDIA'S THIRD GENDER (Germany/India,
2006). Filmmaker Thomas Wartmann's stunning film, brilliantly
photographed by Thomas Riedelsheiner (Rivers and Tides), perceptively
explores the lives of India's 'Eunuchs' - Hijras living on the edge of
society. The festival wraps at 7:30 pm celebrating the 30th anniversary
of Bollywood's biggest and baddest "curry western" -- SHOLAY (India,
1976), with a new print and restored original footage. Directed by
Ramesh Sippy, Sholay stars Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood living legend in
his signature role. This is a unique opportunity to see India's
blockbuster cult classic on the big screen
The Festival is presented by 3rdI, a national organization dedicated to
sharing diverse images of South Asians through monthly screenings in
San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Washington DC. 3rd I and SFISAFF
represent filmmakers and audiences from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka, Nepal, as well as from Canada, the United Kingdom, the
United States, and the South Asian Diaspora. Festival directors and
co-founders Ivan Jaigirdar and Camille Ramani would like to especially
thank the key sponsors including California Institute for Integral
Studies, Center for South Asian Studies at UC Berkeley, Wells Fargo,
PsPrint, ASK, Whole Foods, Hyphen Magazine and India West. 3rdI is also
grateful for the continuous support of the San Francisco Arts
Commission, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the William & Flora
Hewlett Foundation, the Wallace Alexander Foundation, the Thendara
Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Shows are $8 at the
Roxie cinema and $9 at the Castro (not including online processing
fees). The SFISAFF passes are $50 for the entire festival (10
programs). Tickets can be purchased online or at the theatre box office
45 minutes before screening time on the day of the festival.
The San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival plays on Friday, November 10 at the Yerba Buena Theatre, 700 Howard Street, and on Saturday, November 11 at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street in San Francisco; and Sunday, November 12 at the Roxie Cinema, 3117 16th Street at Valencia in San Francisco. For more information about the festival and films visit the festival website at www.thirdi.org/festival OR CALL 415.835.4783. If you would like press materials including screener tapes and photos, email press@thirdi.org or call -510.482.4350/ 415.835.4783.