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.
Bay Area Premier
In this stunning and riveting road drama, a young mother searching for her missing husband follows an enigmatic guide through the visually stunning backdrop of the rural Himalayas.
Bay Area Premier
A nuanced tale of everyday India and two brothers that struggle to save their family business and a piece of the country’s heritage.
Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi in Person!
Three young men from Lahore navigate the often terrifying world of illegal immigration. This musical was Pakistan's Official Entry to the Oscars in 2013, and features the talents of thespian Naseeruddin Shah.
US Premier
This German girl and Indian boy enjoyed a blissful, secret love for years, but now it’s time to get married and meet the parents!
US Premier
An intimate, thought-provoking documentary that courageously turns the camera on the filmmaker's own failed cross-caste love affair to examine why the dreams and aspirations of so many women in middle-class India never take flight.
On a mission to showcase some of the funniest international comics, comedian Hasan Minhaj (who was recently signed on to the Daily Show) tests how far they can push comedy that deals with some of the toughest global poverty, gender, and race issues of our time.
West Coast & Bay Area Premiers
Prashant Bhargava in Person!
An explosion of color and sound on the silver screen captures the essence of this program of shorts, with Radhe, Radhe which features a new score by acclaimed Jazz musician Vijay Iyer.
San Francisco Premier
In this stunning and riveting road drama, a young mother searching for her missing husband follows an enigmatic guide through the visually stunning backdrop of the rural Himalayas.
With Special Guest Manoj Shailendra, Bollywood expert and son of famed Bollywood lyricist Shailendra!
Robin Sukhadia returns to 3rd i for a close study of this 1960 blockbuster which is remembered for Naushad's timeless music, and for bringing color to Indian cinemagoers.
3rd i's Bollywood at the Castro is one of the most popular events at the festival! Intensely local, gloriously global and unexpectedly moving, Queen takes Bollywood in a new direction.
Join us for a special reception at the Castro Mezzanine following the screening of the film Dukhtar. Meet all the festival filmmakers up close and personal! Enjoy food and drinks, get your photograph taken with our celebrity guests and let the DJ get your feet wet for our Bollywood at the Castro screening. Click here […]
West Coast Premier
Afia Nathaniel in Person!
The starkly beautiful and forbidding mountains of Pakistan provide the setting for this edge-of-your-seat thriller from Afia Nathaniel. Pakistan’s Official Entry to the Oscars. Followed by Castro Reception with the Filmmakers.
San Francisco Premier
Followed by a live performance by the artists on the occasion of Pt. Chitresh Das' 70th Birthday!
An unlikely friendship develops between the master of precision, Indian kathak dancer Chitresh Das, and freestyler Jason Samuels Smith, African American tap dancer in this magical collaboration captured on film.
San Francisco Premier
Followed by panel discussion
An exceptional and riveting directorial debut, using the great dramatic tradition of forbidden love between lower-caste and upper-caste teenagers to create a powerful multidimensional narrative that’s anything but clichéd.
Bay Area Premier
Filmmaker Kanu Behl in Person!
Perhaps one of the most thrilling films to come out of India this year, Titli is also a family drama—the youngest of a brotherhood of violent carjackers makes the desperate attempt to break away from his dysfunctional family.
