3rd i

The Queen of My Dreams
2024-10-18 19:15 (America/Los_Angeles) | Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
Q&A with director Fawzia Mirza!
Vibrant, fun, and romantic, with the colors and spirit that evoke Bollywood musicals, THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS, directed and written by 3rd i alumna Fawzia Mirza (NOOR & LAYLA, SIGNATURE MOVES), is a luminous film about the complicated and intertwined bonds between mothers and daughters.
Queer Pakistani grad student Azra (Amrit Kaur, THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS) is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother (Nimra Bucha). When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined—from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming-of-age in rural Canada.
Mirza’s expansive intergenerational narrative of women seeking to explore and define themselves in different eras (flashing between 1999 and 1969), which traces key moments in the lives of a mother and daughter born three decades apart, is inspired by her own personal experience.
PREMIERED – Toronto International Film Festival, One of Canada’s Top 10 Films of 2023
WINNER – BFI London Film Festival, Sutherland Award 2023
SHORTLIST – Directors Guild of Canada’s Jean Marc Vallée Discovery Award 2023

Drawing A Line
2024-10-19 13:15
Sharp, satirical, and highly popular sociopolitical Indian cartoonist Rachita Taneja is the subject of DRAWING A LINE, a documentary directed by Sama Pana, which premiered at the renowned Hot Docs Festival and won Best Documentary Series at Canneseries 2023. It wonderfully explores Rachita’s inner world and her creative expression as she confronts persecution and censorship with humor and honesty.
Taneja, using the pseudonym “Sanitary Panels,” creates stick-figure cartoons that challenge India’s deep-rooted myths and social and political taboos surrounding topics such as menstruation, mental health, freedom of speech, climate change, and LGBTQIA+ rights.
Taneja’s webcomics have garnered a large following among young liberals, but they also attract government scrutiny and suppression. The film reveals that, despite facing criminal prosecution, Taneja is dedicated to advocating for diverse communities in India and combating the erosion of free speech in the world’s largest democracy. This timely, inspiring and thought-provoking film provides an empowering example of resisting censorship and defending freedom of expression with bravery and creativity.
WINNER – Canneséries 2023, Best International Documentary Series “Draw for Change!”
PREMIERED – Hot Docs 2024
﻿﻿

All We Imagine as Light
2024-10-19 15:00
Hypnotic, meditative, and almost spiritually evocative of the human condition, ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT, directed by Payal Kapadia (A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING, 3rd i’s Film Fest 2023), is a glorious Cannes Film Festival award winner that should not be missed.
The feature begins with a dreamlike ode to the thriving, cosmopolitan, and diverse city of Mumbai, and transitions to a richly textured and delicate poetic portrait of the lives of three women and their journey of self-discovery and friendship.
In Mumbai, Nurse Prabha’s routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a place in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. A trip to the sea and beach town of their displaced friend, Parvati, allows them all to find a space for their desires to manifest.
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT is a magical and poetic masterpiece that is brilliantly unassuming. Filmed with exquisite elegance and precision, it is subtly unconventional and even subversive in its approach to visual storytelling and ways of exploring issues of gender, class and religious inequalities.
“The film confirms Kapadia as one of the most compelling voices of contemporary cinema.” – Paolo Bertolin, film critic
“‘Lyrical’ and ‘delicate,’ Payal Kapadia’s universal, emotional film, premiering at Cannes, will ‘win hearts everywhere.'” – Nicholas Barber, BBC
WINNER – Cannes Film Festival 2024, Grand Prix award

Now and Forever
2024-10-19 17:30
Director Shalini Ushadevi in person!
US Premiere
NOW AND FOREVER (ENNENNUM), directed by Shalini Ushadevi, is a unique, nuanced, and thought-provoking sci-fi feature from South India.
In an alternate dystopian present, a married couple in the state of Kerala discusses whether or not to become immortal by taking a new high-cost implant. The couple decides to give immortality a three-day experimental trial period, but things don’t turn out the way they expect.
A relationship drama with a sci-fi twist, the film deftly explores the couple’s complex thoughts and shades of emotions around the idea of identity and love, in a world where “until death do us part” may not be an option.
In addition to writing and producing NOW AND FOREVER, Ushadevi has written and developed narrative and documentary films in English, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu for several production houses across India.
﻿﻿

Dear Jassi
2024-10-19 20:00
Pavia Sidhu in person!
San Francisco Premiere
Director Tarsem Singh’s DEAR JASSI revolves around a 19-year-old woman from a wealthy family in Canada. Jassi (Pavia Sidhu) visits relatives in the Punjab and falls in love with Mithu (Yugam Sood), a handsome and enterprising young man from a working-class family.
This Romeo-and-Juliet tale, based on a true tragic event from the 90s, paints a gorgeous filmic landscape of two innocent and romantic young lovers, juxtaposed with the visceral realities of familial and societal taboos and challenges.
Tarsem weaves Punjabi Sufi folklore into the gripping Shakespearean tale to create a striking, artistic film about injustice with a haunting, chilling finale that leaves a lasting impression.
Known for his visually stunning Hollywood films, such as THE FALL, THE CELL and IMMORTALS, as well as groundbreaking music videos for the likes of R.E.M. and Lady Gaga, Tarsem Singh returns to his home state of Punjab to make his first film shot in India.
WINNER – Toronto Film Festival 2023, Platform Prize
WINNER – Dublin Film Festival 2024, Dublin Film Critics Circle Michael Dwyer Discovery Award to Lead Actors (Pavia Sidhu and Yugam Sood)
Content advisory: mature themes; violence; sexual violence

Two Paths, One Nation: Nationalism in LAGAAN and RRR
2024-10-20 13:00
Click above for FREE tickets!
Join Robin Sukhadia for a special presentation!
[Photo: ©Najib Joe Hakim]
Robin Sukhadia will present an engaging exploration of two landmark films that have captured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world: LAGAAN and RRR. Set against the turbulent backdrop of colonial India, these Academy Award nominated/winning films offer strikingly different takes on the fight for independence—one rooted in peaceful defiance, the other in fierce rebellion.
Through captivating storytelling, gorgeous film scores, unforgettable characters, and powerful cinematic moments, LAGAAN and RRR present two distinct visions of resistance and nationalism. Featuring video clips from key moments in both films (prepare to dance to Naatu), this lecture dives deep into the symbolism, themes, music, and emotional resonance of these films, revealing how they reflect the broader cultural and political forces that continue to shape modern India.
Whether you’re a fan of historical epics, passionate about cinema’s role in shaping national identity, or simply intrigued by the contrasting approaches to storytelling, this discussion will leave you with fresh perspectives on two of Indian cinema’s most iconic works. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the power of film to inspire, challenge, and ignite conversations about history, identity, and the future.
A Master in Fine Arts graduate from the World Music program at the California Institute of the Arts, Robin Sukhadia studies tabla (classical north Indian drums) under Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri at the California Institute of the Arts and the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California. He completed a Senior Fulbright Research Fellowship in India in 2011, where he developed programs empowering street children through Indian classical music. He performs and teaches extensively, in both classical and contemporary contexts, and has developed innovative music education programs at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, the Mahatma Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, the Weill Institute at Carnegie Hall, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. He presently works as a strategic consultant for non-profit leadership and fundraising and is based in Los Angeles. Robin has served as a Board Member of the Ali Akbar College of Music since 2015. More information at www.tablapusher.com and on Instagram @tablapusher.

Land of Dreams
2024-10-20 14:30
Filmmakers Ambarien Alqadar and Shankey Srinivasan in person!
Preceded by short film DOS MUJERES
Filmed over nearly a decade, Ambarien Alqadar’s LAND OF DREAMS is an intimate portrait of Virender Rana, a taxi driver from India, who is chasing his dream in America.
The documentary follows Virender’s journey of coming to America as he finds joy being part of a large Sikh community, a community of taxi drivers, and filming a Bollywood-style movie. When he joins the elite Uber Black Fleet hoping for his dreams to come true, he faces the challenges of being a brown immigrant trying to lay his roots.
LAND OF DREAMS is a message of solidarity and hope to anyone who has searched for a land for their dreams and a home in a place where they were not born.

DOS MUJERES, Shankey Srinivasan
(USA, 2024, 17 min, Hindi and Spanish with English subtitles)
The short documentary examines the broken immigration system in the US through the eyes of two immigrant women – one Indian and one Mexican. All the cast and crew are local artists from the SF Bay Area.

3rd i Shorts: From Mumbai to the Mission
2024-10-20 16:15
Musician/composer Robin Sukhadia in person!
From light comedy to dark wit, this year’s kaleidoscope of cinematic offerings brings filmmakers into conversation together from South Asia to California and throughout the Diaspora. With genres that range from music videos to documentaries, and from comedy to dramatic narratives, this year’s edition tackles stories of immigration, relationships, identity, and social justice.
MIRAGE, Jhanvi Motla (USA, 2023, 16 min)
A young Indian widow leaves Mumbai to work at a motel owned by her cousin in California. But the motel’s survival depends on sinister forces that conflict with her notions of the American dream.
RAILWAYS, music composed by Robin Sukhadia and Ameet Mehta (SADUBAS); footage by Rusha Bose (USA, 2024, 4 min)
A gorgeous music video, with hypnotic tracks, that takes the viewer through the evocative, lush monsoon landscapes of Bengal.
BIG EARS, Sam Baron; starring Amit Shah (UK, 2022, 13 min)
A struggling actor finds a lump on his testicle and is forced to confront his life choices.
CUPPA CHAI, Amit Kaur ( UK, 2023, 11 min)
We discover Britain’s multicultural fabric through Mira, as she navigates her way through making a cup of tea, and transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries using the enchanting realms of magic.
TALL DARK AND HANDSOME, Sam Baron (UK, 2023, 14 min)
A hilarious commentary on racial stereotypes, xenophobia, and the identity woes that sometimes come with the joys of biracial dating.
SWEET REFUGE, Maryam Mir (USA, 2022, 12 mins)
An endearing and charming comedy about the unexpected rivalry and bonding between two immigrant chefs during turf wars over beloved sweets: baklava vs ladoos.

Girls Will Be Girls
2024-10-20 18:00
GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS is a brilliant, richly layered romantic film that has won countless awards. Directed by Shuchi Talati, it masterfully explores the subtle complexities of a 16-year-old girl’s coming-of-age desires and sexual awakening.
Set in the 1990s, the film finds 16-year-old Mira at her strict private boarding school atop a Himalayan mountainscape in India. Mira is straitlaced and must navigate good grades, her budding romance with a handsome 17-year-old boy, and an unwelcome emotional love triangle involving her mother.
Talati’s command in directing such a nuanced narrative is elevated by her empathetic gaze, which flawlessly captures the fascinating triangular relationship between Mira, the mother, and Sri the boyfriend. The impeccable script, sensitive storytelling, and warm cinematography reinforce the strong focus on female empowerment at the film’s core.
Giving her characters shading and the story space to breathe, Talati has created a quietly captivating, sharply observed and insightful film. A loss of innocence may propel the story, but what ultimately emerges is a hopeful transformation of the main characters.
“Bursting with creative energy and distinctive aesthetic sensibilities.” – Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter
“A Stylish Medley of Generations and Dreams” – Valerie Complex, Deadline
WINNER – Sundance Film Festival, World Cinema Dramatic: Audience Award and Special Jury Award for Acting
WINNER – SXSW Film Festival, Festival Favorites Award 2024
WINNER – Sofia International Film Festival, Best Director 2024
﻿﻿
