3rd i co-presents "Chee and T" at CAAMFest 2017
2017-03-11 15:10 (America/Los_Angeles) | Alamo Drafthouse, 2550 Mission St, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Chee and T
Directed by Tanuj Chopra
Narrative / USA / 2016 / Bay Area Connection, Comedy / 80 min / English / Color
San Francisco Premiere
Living in the tech bubble of Silicon Valley, dynamic duo Chee and T are anything but tech savvy. They just can’t seem to get things right while making a living off of odd jobs while knocking down doors and bullying locals to collect rent for Chee’s Uncle Rob, a wealthy landlord-tycoon. Trapped under Uncle Rob’s influence, Chee and T’s lives are stuck in neutral. That is until Uncle Rob asks them to take care of Mayunk— his once shy, now wild young nephew—and to get him ready for his engagement party. It’s an easy decision at first until they really begin to understand Mayunk. That’s when the real challenge begins.
In this charming buddy comedy, director Tanuj Chopra delivers a new film that captures the growing pains of friendships and family and of becoming an adult.
Expected Guests in Attendance: Tanuj Chopra (Director/Writer), Sohini Sengupta (Producer), Sunkrish Bala (Actor)
Dates & Times
Alamo Drafthouse
March 11, 2017, 3:10 pm
For more information and tickets: http://caamfest.com/2017/films/chee-and-t/

3rd i co-presents "Brown Girls" at CAAMFest 2017
2017-03-16 18:30 | Alamo Drafthouse, 2550 Mission St, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Brown Girls
Directed by Sam Bailey
Loosely based on creator Fatimah Asghar’s own life, BROWN GIRLS follows the lives of Leila, a South Asian writer in the midst of navigating and owning her queerness, and her friend Patricia, who struggles to find meaning financially, romantically and creatively.
With its Broad City meets Insecure vibes, this new web series paints an intimate portrait of two young women of color navigating their relationships, families, sexual orientations and the messiness of being in your mid-20s.
Expected Guests in Attendance: Fatimah Asghar (Writer), Nabila Hossain (Actor)
Dates & Times
Alamo Drafthouse
March 16, 2017, 6:30 pm
For more information and tickets: http://caamfest.com/2017/films/brown-girls/
Read a Time magazine interview with Fatimah Asghar.

3rd i co-presents "Hotel Salvation" at SFFilm Festival 2017
2017-04-06 15:00 | SFMOMA, 151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
Hotel Salvation
Directed by Shubhashish Bhutiani
India 2016 / 99 min / Hindi with English Subtitles
In Shubhashish Bhutiani’s winning debut feature, 77-year-old Dayanand sees his coming death in a dream and insists that his business-minded son take him to a hotel in the holy city of Varanasi. A moving and bittersweet drama that gracefully captures societal customs in India surrounding death and family, and is based on real hotels that administer such services. Hotel Salvation’s gentle rhythms and beautiful setting allow us to join these characters in contemplating the big questions in life—and death.
Date & Time: April 6, 3 pm at SFMOMA and
April 7, 8:15 pm at Roxie Theater
For tickets and information: http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/hotel-salvation

3rd i co-presents "Hotel Salvation" at SFFilm Festival 2017
2017-04-07 20:15 | Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States

3rd i co-presents "The Cinema Travellers" at SFFilm Festival 2017
2017-04-09 18:00 | SFMOMA, 151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
The Cinema Travellers
Directed by Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya
India 2016, 96 min
Hindi, Marathi with English Subtitles
A moving homage to the bygone era of celluloid, The Cinema Travellers captures the splendor of the moving image through India’s traveling movie caravans. Shot over five years, this intimate documentary takes the viewer on a cinematic journey joining the undaunted technicians, the projectionists who create movie magic, and the boisterous, overflowing crowd that await at each stop. The seeds for the film were planted by director Amit Madheshiya’s award-winning 2010 photography show of these mobile cinemas. That experience inspired Madheshiya and co-director Shirly Abraham to join the circuit with Akshay Touring Talkies company.
Expected Guests in Attendance: Directors Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya expected to attend April 9th.
Date & Time: April 9, 6pm at SFMOMA
For tickets and information: http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-cinema-travellers

3rd i co-presents Shah Rukh Khan in Person!!! at SFFilm Festival 2017
2017-04-14 20:30 | Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA, 94114, United States
A Conversation with SRK and screening of his film My Name is Khan
Shah Rukh Khan in Conversation: Shah Rukh Khan is not only one of India’s biggest-ever stars, his fame has transcended borders and brought him worldwide acclaim. Join powerhouse director-producer Brett Ratner for a conversation with Khan about his three-decade Bollywood career, followed by a screening of My Name Is Khan (2010).
My Name is Khan
Directed by Karan Johar
India 2010/165 min

My Name is Khan is an epic drama that tackles the subject of post 9/11 prejudice in America, as seen through the eyes of Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan), a devout Muslim who ends up on a cross-country Quest to meet the President. The film has musical numbers and underlying messages of tolerance, unconditional love, and truth-seeking which are all worth celebrating in theses challenging times…. especially with Shah Rukh Khan, in person.
Expected Guests in Attendance: Shah Rukh Khan in person!
Date & Time: April 14, 8:30 pm at the Castro Theatre
For tickets and information: http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/a-tribute-to-shah-rukh-khan-my-name-is-khan

3rd i Co-presents "Kalpana" at BAMPFA
2017-05-06 15:00 | BAMPFA, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
3rd i co-presents two films at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA).
Kalpana
Saturday, May 6 – 3 PM
Uday Shankar
India, 1948
Digital Restoration
This gorgeous experimental drama, the only film by celebrated dancer Uday Shankar (brother of Ravi Shankar), is the semi-autobiographical story of a young man’s dream to establish an arts academy in the Himalayas.
Introduction by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur

Celluloid Man
Saturday, May 6 – 6:30 PM
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
India, 2012
Archival Print
Celebrate a passion for film with this portrait of the pioneering efforts of film preservationist P. K. Nair, who founded the National Film Archive of India in 1964. “One of the best movies ever made about cinema ” (Mark Cousins).
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur in person

3rd i Co-presents "Celluloid Man" at BAMPFA
2017-05-06 18:30 | BAMPFA, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
3rd i co-presents two films at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA).
Celluloid Man
Saturday, May 6 – 6:30 PM
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
India, 2012
Archival Print
Celebrate a passion for film with this portrait of the pioneering efforts of film preservationist P. K. Nair, who founded the National Film Archive of India in 1964. “One of the best movies ever made about cinema ” (Mark Cousins).
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur in person
Kalpana
Saturday, May 6 – 3 PM
Uday Shankar
India, 1948
Digital Restoration
This gorgeous experimental drama, the only film by celebrated dancer Uday Shankar (brother of Ravi Shankar), is the semi-autobiographical story of a young man’s dream to establish an arts academy in the Himalayas.
Introduction by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur

3rd i Films co-presents at Queer Women of Color Film Festival
2017-06-09 19:30 | Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
QWOCMAP’s 13th annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival will premiere 28 films in four screenings. The “Beloved Community” Festival Focus includes an “Unleash The Power” conversation on collective self-care for challenging political times. From the resilient wisdom of LBTQ people of color to the power of prayer for a young Muslim woman and a young Black Christian woman, these films encourage communities to find their squad and unleash their super powers to create change. All films are Subtitled for the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing and ASL interpretation will be provided along with many other forms of disability access.
Opening Night: sadāqa by Neelu Bhuman
The immense strength of friendship among Asian women transcends borders in sadāqa.
Part of the “Beloved Community” program, 7:30 pm, Friday, June 9, 2017.
Closing Night: Gumshuda (The Missing) by Monica James
The mystery of Gumshuda (The Missing) activates a South Asian woman filmmaker’s odyssey to the unlikely temple of Goludev.
Part of the “Tenacious for Love” program, 6:00 pm, Sunday, June 11, 2017.
Closing Night: To Be Me by Reva P
An action figure of Captain America unleashes new ways To Be Me.
Part of the “Tenacious for Love” program, 6:00 pm, Sunday, June 11, 2017.
All screenings at the Brava Theater Center
2789 24th Street @ York Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

3rd i is proud to co-present three films at Frameline 41
2017-06-18 08:00 - 2017-06-23 18:30 | CA
ABU (Father)
Director: Arshad Khan
Growing up in a modern yet traditional Muslim family in Pakistan,
Arshad Khan couldn’t confide his attraction to boys. His moving journey
to self-acceptance, told through home movies, animation, film clips, and
pop songs, began after the family immigrated to Canada.
Canada/2017/95m
Castro Theatre: Thursday, June 22, 3:30 PM
More information and tickets: https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/abu

GIRL UNBOUND
Director: Erin Heidenreich
The top-ranked female squash player in Pakistan, Maria Toorpakai has been a target of Taliban death threats since the age of sixteen. Through both peril and perseverance, she dares to defy those who seek to contain or categorize her.
Canada, Pakistan, USA/2016/80m
Castro Theatre: Sunday, June 18, 1:30 PM
Landmark Theater Piedmont: Friday, June 23, 7PM
More information and tickets: https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/girl-unbound

SIGNATURE MOVE
Director: Jennifer Reeders
A closeted Muslim lawyer and a free-spirited Chicana bookstore owner find common ground in this heartfelt and funny film about how modern romance can arise from a path steeped in tradition.
USA/2017/80m
Castro Theatre: Friday, June 23,6:30 PM
Landmark Theater Piedmont: Saturday, June 24, 6:45 PM
More information and tickets: https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/signature-move

3rd i Co-Presents ‘’Little Stones’’ at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
2017-07-24 14:15 | Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA, 94114, United States
From a graffiti artist speaking out against domestic violence in the favelas of Brazil to a dancer rehabilitating sex-trafficking survivors in India, Little Stones profiles four women, each of whom are contributing a stone to the mosaic of the women’s movement through their art. These four artists show that the world is full of little stones waiting to be discovered.
This 87-minute documentary directed by Sophia Kruz and cinematographer Meena Singh (20 FEET FROM STARDOM, HOLLIDAYSBURG), with music by Amritha Vaz (500 DAYS OF SUMMER) was produced over a period of 18 months in Senegal, Kenya, Brazil, Germany, India and USA.
One of the artists featured, SOHINI CHAKRABORTY, from India, developed a program of contemporary movement therapy to begin to heal victims of sex trafficking without using words.
July 24, 2:15 PM, Castro Theatre, San Francisco
August 3, 2:00 PM, Albany Twin, Albany
For more information and tickets: https://sfjff.org/films/film-guide/little-stones

THE HATE MAN, STREET PHILOSOPHER: Free Outdoor Screening
2017-08-26 14:00 - 14:40 | BAMPFA, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
The City of Berkeley and BAM/PFA will hold a FREE outdoor screening of documentary film, The Hate Man, Street Philosopher, directed by Ivan Jaigirdar
The Hate Man, Street Philosopher is a quirky, entertaining and moving portrait of a Berkeley street philosopher called the “Hate Man”. This 33-minute documentary explores Hate Man’s enigmatic life, including why he chose to quit his job as a successful New York Times journalist, drop out of mainstream society and live in the streets.
Challenging conventional notions of success, conformity, progress and morality, “Hate” lucidly discusses and defends his own “downward mobility” and personal theories of human communication. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging negativity and critiques the positivist bias of American mass culture. Incorporating scenes of Hate’s acerbic, playful and witty heckling, the film investigates and addresses the religious, cultural and ideological paradoxes of a world where the Preachers of “love” damn us to hell, and the self-named “Hate Man” and his followers teach caring and an acceptance of diversity.
The film will be the centerpiece of an event to celebrate and commemorate beloved Berkeley figure, “Hate Man.” Other activities will include the presentation of a proclamation in his honor.
SPONSORS: Sponsored by Berkeley Council member Kriss Worthington, Council member Kate Harrison, Midnites for Maniacs, Artists’ Television Access and 3rd i Films.
Date: Saturday, August 26th, 2017
Time: 2PM
Location: BAM/PFA, 2155 Center St., Berkeley, CA
outdoor screening
FREE

3rd co-presents Amit Dutta’s Cinematic Museum at BAMPFA
2017-09-03 17:00 | CA
Presented in conjunction with the BAMPFA exhibition Divine Visions, Earthly Pleasures: Five Hundred Years of Indian Painting, Amit Dutta’s Cinematic Museum is a series of films exploring the visual arts of India.
More info/tickets at: http://bampfa.org/program/amit-dutta’s-cinematic-museum
Even Red Can Be Sad
Sunday, September 3, 5 PM
Amit Dutta,  India, 2015
An intricately mosaicked portrait of nonagenarian artist Ram Kumar at home and in the studio. With short Chitrashala, which brings to life a series of painted tableaus in a former palace.
Tickets

Nainsukh
Wednesday, September 6, 7 PM
Amit Dutta,  India, Switzerland, 2010
Dutta painstakingly recreates the eighteenth-century artist Nainsukh’s brilliant miniature paintings through sumptuous compositions set amid palace ruins.
With Museum of Imagination: A Portrait in Absentia, on the great art historian B. N. Goswamy.
Tickets

The Seventh Walk
Thursday, September 7, 7 PM
Amit Dutta,  India, 2013
Dutta returns to northern India’s Kangra Valley to consider the region’s legends, folk tales, and rich visual arts through the creative process of the contemporary landscape painter Paramjit Singh.
With Dutta’s dreamlike short To Be Continued.
Tickets

Amit Dutta: Three Shorts on Indian Painting
Friday, September 8, 4 PM
Continuing the exploration begun in Nainsukh, three shorts—Gita Govinda, Field-Trip, and Scenes from a Sketchbook—see Dutta experimenting with radically different approaches to the master and his artistic descendants.
Tickets

The Unknown Craftsman
Sunday, September 10, 5 PM
Amit Dutta,  India, 2017
Sneak Preview!
Dutta’s magical new film follows an eighth-century architect across the lower Himalayas in search of a temple site, a voyage that becomes a spiritual quest. With short The Future of Cinema.
Tickets

"Even Red Can Be Sad " at BAMPFA
2017-09-03 17:00 | BAMPFA, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
Even Red Can Be Sad
Sunday, September 3, 5 PM
Amit Dutta,  India, 2015
An intricately mosaicked portrait of nonagenarian artist Ram Kumar at home and in the studio. With short Chitrashala, which brings to life a series of painted tableaus in a former palace.
Tickets

"Nainsukh " at BAMPFA
2017-09-06 19:00 | BAMPFA, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
Nainsukh
Wednesday, September 6, 7 PM
Amit Dutta,  India, Switzerland, 2010
Dutta painstakingly recreates the eighteenth-century artist Nainsukh’s brilliant miniature paintings through sumptuous compositions set amid palace ruins.
With Museum of Imagination: A Portrait in Absentia, on the great art historian B. N. Goswamy.
More Info
Tickets

The Seventh Walk at BAMPFA
2017-09-07 19:00 | BAMPFA, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
The Seventh Walk
Thursday, September 7, 7 PM
Amit Dutta,  India, 2013
Dutta returns to northern India’s Kangra Valley to consider the region’s legends, folk tales, and rich visual arts through the creative process of the contemporary landscape painter Paramjit Singh.
With Dutta’s dreamlike short To Be Continued.
More info
Tickets

Amit Dutta: Three Shorts on Indian Painting at BAMPFA
2017-09-08 16:00 | BAMPFA, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
Amit Dutta: Three Shorts on Indian Painting
Friday, September 8, 4 PM
Continuing the exploration begun in Nainsukh, three shorts—Gita Govinda, Field-Trip, and Scenes from a Sketchbook—see Dutta experimenting with radically different approaches to the master and his artistic descendants.
More info
Tickets

"The Unknown Craftsman"
2017-09-10 17:00 | BAMPFA, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
The Unknown Craftsman
Sunday, September 10, 5 PM
Amit Dutta,  India, 2017
Sneak Preview!
Dutta’s magical new film follows an eighth-century architect across the lower Himalayas in search of a temple site, a voyage that becomes a spiritual quest. With short The Future of Cinema.
More info
Tickets

The New Talkies
2017-09-22 20:00 | Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
An evening-length program featuring live film narrations by Jaime Cortez, Douglas Kearney and Nicole McJamerson, Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta, Konrad Steiner, Jennifer Tamayo, Anuj Vaidja, and Stalina Emmanuelle Villarrea at Artists’ Television Access in the Mission. Arrive early, as this will be a full-house event! $10 admission.
Organized by Konrad Steiner and Anuj Vaidja, co-sponsored by The Poetry Center and Artists’ Television Access.
This evening of neo-benshi performances will consist of screening several film clips (short edits from feature films or other mass media) re-narrated live for the audience. Scripts are written and performed by authors from the Bay Area, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston to short excerpts from such blockbusters as The Sound of Music; the Mexican feature, Lola La Trailera (Lola the Truck Driver); the animated series Dora, the Explorer; and the obscure The Assassination of Trotsky; to the cult classic Carnival of Souls.
When: Friday, Sep 22, 8pm
Where: Artists’ Television Access
Cost: $10 (cash at the door)
More info: http://www.atasite.org/?p=11709

Second screening of "The Hate Man" doc
2017-09-24 19:00 | Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Come celebrate all things “Hate Man” on what would have been the 81st birthday weekend of a person many felt was the nucleus of Berkeley’s street life for the past 50 years.
3rd i Films, MiDNiTES FOR MANiACS, and ATA co-present the 33-minute director’s cut of Ivan Jaigirdar’s The Hate Man, Street Philosopher (2002, director Ivan Jaigirdar) along with a slew of shorts and clips.
“This moving portrait of a Berkeley street philosopher explores the Hate Man’s enigmatic life, including why, thirty years ago, he chose to quit his job as a successful New York Times journalist, drop out of mainstream society and live in the streets. Challenging conventional notions of success, conformity, progress and morality, ‘Hate’ lucidly discusses and defends his own ‘downward mobility’ and personal theories of human communication among countless other issues.” Introduced by his nephew Jesse Hawthorne Ficks.
September 24, Sunday, 7:30 pm – The Hate Man Lives

Abu (Father)
2017-11-09 19:15 | New People Cinema, 1746 Post Street, San Francisco, CA, 94115, United States
Filmmaker in Person

Deeply moving and smart, Arshad Khan’s outstanding documentary is a quintessential immigrant story that captures the tumultuous journey of his family’s move to Canada, from Pakistan, in the early 90s. These were Arshad’s teenage years, made all the more confusing by his budding queer sexuality. While the Khans had always struck a balance between traditional and modern values, this was where they drew the line.
Arshad poignantly recalls the balancing act, managing his family’s expectations with his own hopes and dreams. His once-liberal parents had traded assimilation for fundamentalism, moving towards a conservative strain of Islam, while Arshad was becoming deeply involved in the cultural and political fabric of his new home. Peppered with animations, snippets from Bollywood, and a treasure trove of home movie footage, Abu offers a complex and nuanced portrait of a family trying to hold on to one another in spite of all the challenges.

3rd i's San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival 2017
2017-11-09 19:15 - 21:30 | CA
November 9-12, New People Cinema and Castro Theatre, San Francisco
November 18, BlueLight Cinema, Cupertino
Come celebrate 3rd i’s fifteenth anniversary this year, as the annual SF International South Asian Film Festival presents some of the best cinema from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Canada, Australia, and the USA. This year’s festival captures the political zeitgeist of our times, offering reflections on the democratic process, the power of the vote, and on the legacy of political revolutions. Home movies become rich fodder for filmmakers, their celluloid memories resurfacing stories about family, immigration, and cross-cultural dialogue. Voices from the margins circulate through the program, centering women’s unsung labor, queer voices, and disappearing landscapes. As always the shorts program gathers an impressive range of local and international offerings, while Bollywood is served up two ways – neo-noir and classic camp.

Random Acts of Legacy
2017-11-10 19:15 | New People Cinema, 1746 Post Street, San Francisco, CA, 94115, United States
Filmmaker via Skype

In this gorgeous, multi-layered documentary about immigration and integration, Ali Kazimi brilliantly weaves a rich tapestry of history and memory to offer an unusual portrait of a family of color in middle America.
For many minorities, home movies used to be a luxury, and their rare existence lends insight into personal lives otherwise omitted from moving image history. When Kazimi (who has been rescuing these orphaned and decaying home movies) found himself in an online bidding war for film footage from 1936 to 1951, he knew he had stumbled upon a rare artifact.
A 3rd i alumnus, Kazimi is well-known for his outstanding doc, A Continuous Journey, which chronicles the history of Sikh migration to Canada. Set in Chicago between the Great Depression and the post-war era, this award-winning film peeks into the everyday life of a commercial artist and his trailblazing wife, to reveal the experiences of a first-generation Chinese family in America.

Gurgaon
2017-11-10 21:30 | New People Cinema, 1746 Post Street, San Francisco, CA, 94115, United States
Stylish and edgy, with a deep, dark twist, Gurgaon is a neo-noir (a la Anurag Kashyap) based on the true life story of a kidnapping gone awry, in the shiny outer reaches of the fast growing Delhi metropolis. Kehri Singh awaits the day when his daughter Preet will return from her studies abroad and take over the real estate business named in her honor. Her brother Nikki Singh, however, is not so pleased. Feeling emasculated by her success, Nikki simmers and broods, edging his family towards an explosive denouement, and forcing Kehri Singh to confront a dark secret in the recesses of his past.
Raman delves deep into the psychology of his characters, fleshing out an extremely compelling story that keeps the twists and turns coming — each one completely believable and integral to the plot. A cautionary tale against the the caustic logic that drives patriarchy, and the predatory and corrupt ecosystem that undergirds material success, this unassuming tour-de-force reminds us of the consequences of pursuing economic prosperity at all costs.

NARI: The Unsung Story of the Women from India's First Family of Music
2017-11-11 15:00 | Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA, 94114, United States
Followed by Q&A

In this unique live performance, accomplished musician and composer for film Gingger Shankar celebrates the life and work of her mother (Viji Shankar) and grandmother (Lakshmi Shankar). Hailing from India’s first family of music, and renowned artists in their own right, they helped bring Indian music to the West in the 1970s through their close collaborations with Ravi Shankar and George Harrison (The Beatles).
In Sanskrit, “nari” means both “woman” and “sacrifice.” As female artists trying to establish themselves in a male-dominated field, Lakshmi and Viji understood this only too well. They fought to overcome numerous challenges in both their artistic and personal lives as they found themselves catapulted from conservative Indian culture into the stratosphere of American rock n’roll. Official selection at both the Toronto and Sundance film festivals, this multimedia program blends archival sound recordings, film footage, and never-before-seen family photos, to uncover a hidden musical herstory. Featured on the double violin, Shankar is accompanied by bandmates Vivek Maddala and Rob Amjarv.
Shankar has worked with some of the top musicians, producers and film composers in the industry, including The Smashing Pumpkins, Trent Reznor, Mike Nichols, James Newton Howard, and Katy Perry. Maddala is an award- winning composer and performer, having scored over 40 productions, with recent premieres at the Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, Venice, and Sundance film festivals.

An Insignificant Man
2017-11-11 17:30 | Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA, 94114, United States
Followed by panel discussion

Dubbed the ”Bernie Sanders of India”, Arvind Kejriwal shook up the the status quo of the Indian political system with his Aam Aadmi Party (Common Man’s Party) in the last national election. This revolutionary shift in India’s mainstream political establishment is exposed in this gripping and unwavering doc.
Supported by the Sundance Film Institute and official selection at the Toronto Film Festival, this insightful political thriller is an on-the-ground look into the political system of the largest democracy in the world, a country with 29 official languages and 1.3 billion people. Directors Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla train their lens on inequality, corruption, and the power of elites, to highlight the democratic principles at stake in India and around the world. Fittingly enough, the film has recently been in a censorship controversy in India.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion to help navigate the complex political terrain of India, and to bring a global context to discussions of democracy and free speech.

OM SHANTI OM
2017-11-11 20:15 | Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA, 94114, United States
Bollywood at the Castro!!

Serving up a dazzling array of musical showstoppers and cameos by nearly every Bollywood star, Om Shanti Om is a blockbuster extravaganza for the ages. Director Farah Khan pulls out all the stops to squeeze in comedy, melodrama, action, and suspense in a masala mix of epic proportions.
Om Prakash (played by the irrepressible and iconic Shah Rukh Khan) dreams of becoming a star while swooning over Shanti (Deepika Padukone), the top starlet of the day. Their budding friendship, however, meets a tragic end at the hands of Shanti’s nefarious producer-husband. Not to worry though, for thirty years later, Om is reincarnated as superstar Om Kapoor, who seeks to avenge Shanti’s killing.
At once a parody of and homage to the unbridled, anything-goes exuberance of Hindi musicals from the ‘70s, Om Shanti Om even references such Western classics as Singin’ in the Rain and Phantom of the Opera. Come celebrate 3rd i’s fifteenth anniversary with this retro fantasia, which is Bollywood entertainment at its spectacular best!

Shepherdess of the Glaciers
2017-11-12 13:00 | New People Cinema, 1746 Post Street, San Francisco, CA, 94115, United States
A mesmerizing tribute to the unbreakable bond between humans and animals, Shepherdess of the Glaciers captures a way of life that is deeply intertwined with nature. On a rock-strewn mountain 5,000 meters high, amidst the stunning landscape of Ladakh, lives shepherdess Tsering with her flock of 300 sheep and pashmina goats.
Every winter, Tsering sets out from from her home village to the high plateaus of the Himalayas, so that the flock can graze through the winter. Her only access to events in the outside world is via a small transistor radio. When the batteries run out, Tsering sings to herself and the surrounding glaciers. Apart from the physical travails of herding sheep across the icy terrain, danger also lurks in the form of wolves and snow leopards, which Tsering must fight off single-handedly. Documented over four seasons by her brother Stanzin Dorjai, the film examines a culture and a landscape that are fast disappearing, due to modernization and climate change.

NEWTON
2017-11-12 14:45 | New People Cinema, 1746 Post Street, San Francisco, CA, 94115, United States
Amit Masurkar’s smart and engaging black comedy, Newton, (official selection at the Berlin Film Festival) finds humor in the tenuous nature of democracy, a hard task on the global stage at the present. When conscientious clerk, Newton, is placed on election duty in the conflict-ridden “tribal” area of Chhattisgarh, he tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of an attack by Maoist rebels. The titular role is played with sincerity and deeply felt passion by Rajkummar Rao (Queen, Aligarh), a rising star on the indie scene in India.
The village where he must ensure that the election is carried out properly turns out to be a democratic stress-center, where he must keep devious military personnel and oddball bureaucrats in check – even as the voters remain strangely absent. Embracing a sense of chaos and absurdity, while remaining aware of the drama of reality, this film asks us to question our belief in the political process, and the power of the vote.

Last Man in Dhaka Central (The Young Man Was, Part 3)
2017-11-12 17:00 | New People Cinema, 1746 Post Street, San Francisco, CA, 94115, United States
Filmmaker in Person

1975. The Summer of Tigers in Bangladesh ended with a failed Maoist mutiny. Along with the leaders, also arrested was Peter Custers, a Dutch journalist who befriended the leader of the soldiers’ mutiny. Last Man unspools two stories in reverse: In a series of newsreels, we start with Peter’s release. In the parallel, and contradictory, story told by Peter, memories unravel over books and magazines in his Netherlands home. Inspired by Herbert Marcuse’s One-Dimensional Man, Peter dropped out of Johns Hopkins to move to Asia in search for a revolutionary proletariat. A few months after the film’s premiere at the 2015 Venice Biennale, Peter passed away unexpectedly. The film is now an unexpected memorial; the last man has said goodbye.
The idea of the remaining witness, and whether memory is blessing or burden, play out in Mohaiemen’s current exhibition at MoMA, New York, There Is No Last Man.
Preceded by the short Abu Ammar is Coming (2016, Bangladesh/USA, 6mins). Using black and white archival photos, this evocative short merges promise and heartbreak, tracing the residual memories and stories of the moment of global solidarity between Palestine and Bangladesh.
