"A film is a petrified fountain of thought."-Jean Cocteau
This weekend is the Dallas area's inaugural DFW South Asian Film Festival. The event should be a treat for local film lovers and is a rare opportunity to view new, independent South Asian films right here in Texas. The line-up is a mix of shorts, documentaries and feature films from South Asian filmmakers and filmmakers around the world. Many of the films and documentaries tackle important social issues of the region. I know I am especially looking forward to (and willing to brave the snowy weather for) two notable films that have been making their way through other festivals: the opening film, Brahmin Bulls and the centerpiece film, Sold. Both screenings will be followed with Q&A sessions with the filmmakers.
The best part of a well curated film festival is the incredible diversity of the films within the theme. While Brahmin Bulls is about Indian-Americans and dives into a father-son relationship set in LA, Sold, based on the novel by Patricia McCormick, explores the complicated and tragic issue of human trafficking through the story of a 13-year-old girl from Nepal. The film has a notable cast with Seema Biswas, David Arquette and Gillian Anderson and newcomer Niyar Saikia who plays the lead role of Lakshmi (Apparently, 1000 girls in India and Nepal were auditioned for Lakshmi's role).
The festival selections do not all seem to be heavy though. The short Blouse (sorry, but looks like the trailer does not have subtitles, but humor translates, right?) looks like it will provide some much needed comic relief. The festival runs through Sunday at the Angelika Plano and tickets for most films can still be purchased at the box office. For the complete list of films at the festival, timings and ticket information, check out the festival's site.
image source: brahminbulls.com, soldthemovie.com, dfwsaff.com
-SD
Comments