Filmi South Asian Film Festival has some cool films for you from Thursday September 30th through Sunday October 3, 2010
Step aside Bollywood; it's time to get Filmi.
Check out the 11th annual Filmi South Asian Film Festival which rolls into town, bringing an eclectic collection of South Asian fare for cine-philes from Toronto and beyond.
No big name handsome heroes and gorgeous heroines, flawlessly choreographed dance and song sequences or dramatic love stories here.
Described as "bold and courageous," this year's Filmi Festival aims to showcase the future of South Asian cinema and foster a new audience outside of Bollywood.
Now in its 11th year, Filmi—a South Asian slang used to describe anything associated with the Indian movie industry—is a passionate celebration of independent South Asian films from across the globe with 13 films being screened at a variety of locations in Toronto from Sept. 30th thru Oct. 3rd, 2010.
"When we started there was nothing quite like it in North America. We were the first. Now we can see there are ten South Asian film festivals in North America," says Dinesh Sachdev, Filmi's executive director.
Sachedev and Mohit Rajhans started up the "Filmi" movement after they noticed the lack of South Asians represented within the North American film industry. They made a firm commitment that not only would it become the largest festival of its kind in North America (which it has), but also worldwide.
Filmi made its debut on Sept. 30, 2000 at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, modestly featuring just one documentary and two films, including Sujit Saraf's Bugaboo, which shed light on some of the complexities faced by Indian professionals' who were part of the high-tech boom of the nineties.
By 2001, Filmi had grown immensely-boasting six features and eight short films-which were screened during the free two-day event, that drew in a crowd of 2,500 and generated buzz among local and international media.
Year after year, the "cinema rather than masala" content the festival offers has made it a staple on every filmgoers' social calendar, attracting an audience base of more than 5,000.
Ashes
This year is no different as Filmi's trademark element: cross-cultural themes intended to resonate with mainstream audiences will be prevalent throughout as Sachdev explains, "we see filmmakers taking risks and not making traditional stories [about] arranged marriages, call centres."
One such risqué film is Thursday's Canadian premier of Ajay Naidu's highly anticipated Ashes. It tells the story of two brothers living in the inner city, one of whom sinks into manic-depressive schizoid disorder, while the other flees from his responsibility as he tries to become a wealthy drug dealer.
The Taqwacores
Another show stopper will be the highly acclaimed film The Taqwacores a feature documentary written and directed by Eyad Zahra and follows the steady progression of the Muslim Punk scene featuring (our very own Sexy & Successful) Noreen DeWulf. Fresh from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it was noted as an official selection, it makes its Canadian premiere this Saturday October 2, 2010.
Be sure to catch some of the unique cinematic fare being served up at this year's Filmi, with ticket prices starting at just $10 you won't want to miss it. For more information, visit www.filmi.org.
Here is a quick rundown of the schedule:
Opening Night Film – Thurs. Sept. 30, 2010
Art Gallery of Ontario (Jackman Hall, 317 Dundas St. W, Toronto)
World Premiere of ASHES @ 7 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 1, 2010
Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Avenue)
Shorts Programme @ 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 2, 2010
Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Avenue)
Canadian Premiere of "The Taqwacores" @ 7:30 p.m.
Closing Night Film – Sun. Oct. 3, 2010
Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor Steet West)
World Premiere of "Spirit of South Asia" @ 6:30 p.m.
With ticket prices ranging from $10, check out some unique cinematic fare this weekend. For more information, visit. www.filmi.org.
BY: NEETU SEUPERSADSINGH
Sources: filmi.org, IMDb.com, twitter, and facebook
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