3rd I

Film

SEARCHING FOR SANDEEP

Searching for Sandeep

3:25pm
Saturday, November 7
Castro Theatre, San Francisco

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Director: Poppy Stockwell
Country/Year: Australia, 2007
Running Time: 56 mins
Language: English

When the Sydney singles scene proves fruitless, thirty-something Poppy Stockell grabs a video camera, a laptop, and with a whole lot of gumption starts to document her Internet dating adventures. To her delight, she chats, flirts, and falls in love with Sandeep Virdi, an Indian woman from London. The couple embark on an affair that traverses three continents, countless cell phone minutes, hours of videotape, and a gaping cultural, social, and religious divide. Poppy is out, experienced, and ready for a lasting connection. Sandeep is a closeted 31-year-old who has never been in love—and who lives at home, quite contentedly, with her conservative Sikh parents and four sisters.

In raw, candid, and remarkably funny footage, Poppy and Sandeep record the trajectory of their complicated relationship, from giddy moments online and on the phone, to their first in-person meeting on holiday in Thailand. But what begins as a light-hearted documentary about modern courtship soon unravels into heart-wrenching drama when Poppy moves to London: Sandeep’s parents are unable to accept their daughter’s sexuality. Sandeep is now faced with the stark choice of losing her family—her safe harbor—or losing Poppy, the love of her life.

This tender exploration of tolerance, globalization, and long-distance love won the audience award at the Sydney Film Festival.
- Lucy Laird

With the short:
Mr. & Mrs. Singh (Punam S., 2009, USA, 12 mins)

mr and mrs singh
Bay Area Filmmaker

In a parody of the Hollywood movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith, an Indian-American couple enter into a marriage of convenience to appease their parents. But both have a secret they're not telling!
- Frameline

Punam S. is a desi queer women of color filmmaker and the lead of the Women of Trikone group. By profession, she is an independent consultant, who in her free time enjoys traveling the world and practicing culinary arts.