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‘BEYOND BOLLYWOOD: SOUTH ASIAN FILM FEST’ GOES VIRTUAL OCT. 10-11
WHAT: “Beyond Bollywood: 26th annual South Asian Film Festival” – Virtual Only!
WHEN: Oct. 10-11
TICKETS: Festival pass - $25 or individual programs - $10
WHERE: To buy tickets, visit https://enzian.org/films/festivals/south-asian-film-festival/
For more information, call (407) 333-3667.
“Beyond Bollywood: 26th Annual South Asian Film Festival” will be virtual Oct. 10-11 this year. The event showcases diverse images of South Asian (India/Pakistan/Bangladesh) culture and heritage through acclaimed independent films from across the globe. The program is part of Enzian Theater’s cultural festival circuit and is co-presented with the Asian Cultural Association.
Below is a synopsis of the movies showing during the two-day festival.
“MADE IN BANGLADESH” – Bangladesh/France/Denmark/Portugal, 2019, 95 min, directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, English and Bengali with English subtitles
Shimu, 23, works in a clothing factory in Dhaka. Faced with diffi cult conditions at work, she decides to start a union with her co-workers. Despite threats from the management and disapproval of her husband, Shimu is determined to go on. Together, the women must fight and find a way. It’s a moving and suspenseful tale not simply of exploitation.
“JALLIKATTU” – India, 2019, 91 min, directed by Lijo Jose Pelilissery, Malayalam with English subtitles
Unfolding in a remote village in the filmmaker’s home state of Kerala, “Jallikattu” begins with Kalan Varkey, a butcher whom the entire village relies on for fresh meat. A regular ritual of buffalo slaughter goes haywire when the animal breaks loose, creating havoc across the village as it runs amok destroying shops and crops before vanishing into the surrounding woods. Fingers get pointed, the police are called in, and the entire village gets sucked into catching the errant animal.
CHHOTA CINEMA: NEW INDIAN SHORTS 2020
“SADAK CHAAP” (STREET STAMPED) – USA/India, 2019, 14 min, directed by Riddhi Talreja, Hindi with English subtitles
On the streets of Mumbai, a young brother and sister try to raise money to buy a new soccer ball so they can play like the children they see on the other side of the fence. When they lose the money, the young boy risks everything for the ball, only to find that help comes from an unlikely hero.
“BINIMOY” – India/USA, 2019, 18 min, directed by Tanvi Chowdhary, Bengali, English and Hindi with English subtitles
Gauri and Amal are about to celebrate their first wedding anniversary in their little home in north Calcutta. While Gauri wishes to find her husband a special gift, it isn't quite as simple as she thought it would be.
“PROOF” – USA/India, 2020, 20 min, directed by Nishtha Jain and Deepti Gupta, Hindi with English subtitles
Amandeep will never forget his time as a junior gynecologist in a government hospital in Delhi. He was conscientious, which rendered him unfit for the system. The ‘women’s ward’ was a microcosm of woman’s lot in society, and if he wanted to change things for the better, he would have to, perhaps, begin with himself.
“COFFEE SHOP NAMES” – USA, 2019, 8 min, directed by Deepak Sethi, English
Three Indian young professionals imagine their personas as their “coffee shop names,” the names they give baristas because their real names are hard to pronounce.
“THE BRAT” (NATKHAT) – India, 2019, 33 min, directed by Shaan Vyas, Hindi with English subtitles
Sonu is 7 – the age at which children learn and imitate things from their immediate environment, and in the largely patriarchal societies of India, it’s also the age at which machismo starts getting celebrated. One evening over dinner, Sonu casually mentions to his family about a ghastly act that he committed in school. Determined to correct his course, his doting mother Surekha (Vidya Balan) decides that she will not let Sonu go down the same path as the other men in the family. Through her bedtime stories and a son’s love for his mom, she teaches him the true virtue of equality: that between a boy and a girl, a human and an animal, and among all creations of God. “The Brat” is the powerful directorial debut from Shaan Vyas, producer of “The Lunchbox.”
PROFILE
TK MATHEW VYING FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR
He wants taxpayers to save time and money. The Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s office can do better. Much better, he believes. And that is the reason an Indian American of Kerala descent, TK Mathew, is vying for the seat being vacated by the retiring, current collector Doug Belden.
A Hillsborough County resident since 1991, Mathew has owned an automotive business and invested in several restaurants in the past. He even worked for four years in the tax collector’s office. “Right now, I am focused on the election,” says the Republican while stressing that his previous and current business experience is one of the strengths he brings to the tax collector’s office.
“Before Covid-19, wait times regularly exceeded two plus hours for motor vehicle and driver license services in every location,” he says. “These long wait times have been increasing over the past decade.” Mathew promises to cut wait times by retaining skilled employees, bringing more services to residents, and saving taxpayer dollars. “I’m planning to open more satellite offices around the county to better serve our customers. Also, provide adequate training to all my employees so that they’ll stay longer, thus saving taxpayers millions of dollars.” According to Mathew, the current administration spends almost $1.4 million annually to hire/train new employees.
The first Indian American running for Hillsborough County Tax Collector, Mathew wants people to vote. “This is our chance to be in the mainstream politics of Hillsborough County,” he says. “Others have run for public office but lost during the primaries. Nobody has come this close and I have a chance. I am urging the 40,000 Indian Americans in the county who can vote to cast their ballots. We have a great chance of winning, a win for the second generation, and making our voice heard.”
For more information, visit www.tkmathew.com
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