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3rd i NY and Alwan for the Arts Collaborative Monthly Film & Video Series
presents a HOLIDAY SPECIAL SCREENING
WHAT'S COOKING
Just in time for to have a laugh before your own inevitable Holiday Season family drama, join us for a presentation of Gurinder Chadha's Multicultural Holiday Comedy Classic
Followed by free holiday gift raffle & pizza /beer reception.
Every 3rd Tuesday of the month join us for the best in features, docs, & shorts that increase awareness of the creative vitality and sociopolitical realities of the Middle East, South Asia, and their diasporas. Given the historical and cultural affinities between these geographic regions, as well as the contemporary political landscape, these two cultural organizations are beginning a series of programming & marketing collaborations that encompass film, video, music, visual art, and literature, culminating in a week-long film festival in March 2006. In an environment that turns these communities into enemies of the west, we find strength in creating alliances to provide more nuanced, yet genuinely critical views to New York audiences. The dialogue and networking will continue at the complimentary pizza & drinks receptions after every screening in the Pioneer Series!
Tuesday December 19th, 7pm
Two Boots Pioneer Theater
155 East 3rd Street (at Avenue A)
Subway: F to 2nd Ave; 6 to Bleecker
Tickets: $9 Adults / $6.50 Pioneer Members
Followed by FREE PIZZA & BEER at the Den of Cin where 3 lucky ticket-holders
will receive surprise holiday presents from 3rd I NY!
Advance Tickets: 7pm show
About the Film
Director: Gurinder Chadha, USA, 2001, 109 mins. Starring: Joan Chen, Alfre Woodard, Mercedes Ruehl, Julianna Margulies, and Kyra Sedgewick
In LA's Fairfax district, where ethnic groups abound, four households celebrate Thanksgiving amidst family tensions. In the Nguyen family, the children's acculturation and immigrant parents' fears collide. In the Avila family, Isabel's son has invited her estranged husband to their family dinner. Audrey and Ron Williams want to keep their own family's ruptures secret from Ron's visiting mother. In the Seelig household, Herb and Ruth are unwilling to discuss openly their grown daughter's living with her lesbian lover, Carla. Around each table, things come to a head. A gun, an affair, a boyfriend, and a pregnancy precipitate crises forcing each family to find its center.
Director Gurinder Chadha (of "Bend it Like Bekham" fame), herself an Indian woman born in Africa, rasied London, and married to a Japanese-American, deftly escalates the tension in each group such that the dysfunction at each Thanksgiving table spirals out of control at the same rate, culminating in an unexpected bridge between the cultures. WHAT'S COOKING is clever and enormously entertaining, as long as it doesn't happen to you. The fact that such or similar situations are likely commonplace in America's melting pot makes the film all the more reflective of a shared humanity. Kudos to Ms. Chadha for a thoroughly engaging movie equal to, if not better than, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING.
About Alwan for the Arts. Alwan for the Arts serves the Middle East and North African population and educates the broader community by providing access to the range of Middle Eastern and North African arts; thereby enriching the cross-cultural and artistic encounter. Since 1998, Alwan for the Arts has played a leading role in promoting the diverse cultures of the Middle East and North Africa in New York City. It organized film festivals and screenings, book/poetry readings and signings, lectures and conferences, art exhibits, musical and theatrical performances, and language and literature classes. In 2003, Alwan established a center in lower Manhattan which provides a physical base for its diverse cultural activities. For more info: www.alwanforthearts.org
About 3rd I. 3rd I New York's monthly film and music salon designed by local filmmakers and experimental DJs showcases the works of independent filmmakers of South Asian descent and local djs, musicians and electronica artists. Providing alternative forums for South Asian filmmakers who often have few venues to showcase their work not only increases their visibility, but also provides a social forum for peers and audiences to participate in an ongoing discussion. More info...
© Copyright 3rd I NY 2002-2005. All Rights Reserved.
This event is made possible in part through public funds from the Fund for Creative Communities/New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program, administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
