4th Annual DSAFF Schedule: 4 Aug - 6 Aug, 2006

Saturday and (all except 7pm) Sunday shows at the Dallas Museum of Art. Get Address/Directions.
Friday Opening Night Double Header and Sunday night closing film set at McCord Auditorium in Dallas Hall at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Get Address/Directions.
Tickets will be sold at the door. Cash only. $5 per show; $12 Festival Pass.
Students w/ valid IDs: $2 per show; $5 Festival Pass

Friday, August 4th: Opening Night Double Header
no more tears sister: 7:30 pm at SMU
79 mins, English
Directed by Helene Klodawsky
A story of love, revolution, and betrayal; "No More Tears Sister" explores the price of truth in times of war. Set during the violent ethnic conflict that has enveloped Sri Lanka over decades, this documentary recreates the courageous and vibrant life of renowned human rights activist, Dr. Rajani Thiranagama. Mother, anatomy professor, and symbol of hope, Rajani was assasinated at the age of thirty-five. Stunningly photographed, using rare archival footage, intimate correspondence and poetic recreations, the story of Rajani and her family delves into rarely explored themes - revolutionary women and their dangerous pursuit of justice.

"Four stars. A beautifully shot, beautifully produced film." - Eye Weekly
"... a deftly made study of one woman and her family ..." and "... stylish ..." - Variety
"With stunning visuals, admirable emotional restraint and poetic use of Rajani's personal letters Klodawsky recaptures one family's sad saga all the way to their exile. It is one that will resonate with women and men in war-torn societies everywhere." - Newsweek
"... powerful ..." and "... unforgettable ..." - The Weekly Voice
"The film paints a poignant portrait of a woman who must have known what the eventual cost of her beliefs would be." - Toronto Star
"... provocative ..." - Globe and Mail
"Film puts human face on Tamil Tiger tragedy" - Canadian Press
"... eye-opening ..." - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"It is telling that the first attempt to piece together Thiranagama's life and death has been made not by a Tamil, but by a Canadian film-maker. ... vividly captures Thiranagama's transformation from a sympathiser of the Tigers' cause to one of its fiercest critics." - The Hindu

occam's razor: ishrat jehan's easy death: immediately following "no more tears sister" at SMU
25 mins, English
Directed by Priti Chandriani
From the director of "Rani Hindustani" (Special Jury Award Winner, 2nd DSAFF) comes a very special film. On June 15, 2004 a 19 year old college going girl from suburban Mubra (60 km from Mumbai) was shot dead by the Gujarat police. The charge leveled at her was that she was part of a terrorist group who was out on a mission to assassinate the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Based on the principle of Occam’s Razor ("If you have two theories which both explain the observed facts, then you should use the simplest until more evidence comes along"), the film examines the possible versions and raises questions about the manner in which "Encounter killings" are carried out in India.

Post Screening Discussion to be lead and moderated by Karen Johnson. Karen is a Women In Film.Dallas member and a nationally known film producer. She is interested in stories with an original voice, which also have universal appeal, and is particularly drawn to stories featuring women and minorities. She currently has or has had co-productions with producers in Spain, Germany and England. Her current projects include "Charlotte" and "Kusama".

Saturday, August 5th
arya: 12:30 pm at DMA
88 mins, English
Directed by Manan Singh Katahora
"Arya" is a psychological thriller that follows a man in his journey to seek his true identity. Raj Singh works as an associate producer in New York. Things get a little strange when he returns from a convention in California. Mysterious people cross his path. He starts to speak Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages on the planet. He goes bald a day before his engagement. What is he dealing with? Reincarnation? Out of body experience? Schizophrenia? Multiple personalities? This film explores the idea that some equations have no solution.

animated shorts collection: 2:30 pm at DMA
49 mins, English and Hindi with English Subtitles
Directed by Various
gidoo's cosmic crisis: An astrologer convinces Gidoo that he will die the following morning. So he makes a desperate attempt to alter his fate by realigning the stars. "Gidoo's Cosmic Crisis" is Shivanni Khanna's thesis film from the University of Southern California's Animation program.
raju and i: This Indian National Award winning film examines the problems of underprivilged children in India, from the point of view of a 12 year old child.
chakachak: Fast paced and furious, the entire nightmare sequence is a a child's thoughts attempting to understand the damage human beings are causing to the environment and its consequences.

dsaff shorts I: 3:30pm at DMA
viva liberty: 20 mins, English
Directed by Dishad Husain
From the director of Holly Bolly (3rd DSAFF) the story of a paranoid muslim, Woody Ali, who unwittingly winds up in the notorious U.S. detention center called Camp Liberty. Will he be forced to admit to a crime he did not commit? A sarcastic and hilarious look the the world we live in today. Creating buzz at Film Festivals around the world!
acting like a thief: 15 mins, English
Directed by Shashwati Talukdar and P. Kerim Freedman
A short film about the Budhan Theatre of Chharanagar. Starting with playwright Dakxin Bajrange discussing his arrest, the film brings us inside the lives of a dedicated group of young actors and their families as they discuss what it means to be a “born criminal” and how theater changed their lives.
the drive-by ventriloquist: 39 mins, English
Directed by Maninder Chana
Tiberius Bharat, better known as T.B. is 11 years old, lonely and very shy. Traumatized into silence by the death of his father and the sudden re-marriage of his mother cause T.B. to practically clam. Director Maninder Chana takes a delicate look at how one boy deals with his inner and outer demons. Break out performances by group of wonderful child actors give a charm to this film. Mixed with poetic music and subtle comedic undertones this is a film for all of those people who have had to deal with their problems in their own unique way.
bollywood terror: 3 mins, English
Directed by Shashwati Talukdar
A short exploration of a beautiful hypothesis. The US leadership has been watching Bollywood films from the sixties. How else would they know what to say about Terrorism?


susnset bollywood: 5:00 pm at DMA
54 mins, English and Hindi with English Subtitles
Directed by Komal Tolani
What happens when you become an overnight sensation in Bollywood and then cannot maintain your star status? Director, Komal Tolani examines the rise, fall and continuous struggle of three stellar performers who fell from grace. Rahul Roy, Kumar Gaurav and Bhagyashree recount their meteoric rise to stardom, the circumstances that caused their spotlights to dim and repeated attempts to launch a comeback.

Article in South China Morning Post (English newspaper in Hong Kong - Director Komal Tolani's hometown)

city of photos: 6:30 pm at DMA
54 mins, English and Hindi with English Subtitles
Directed by Nishtha Jain
This exploration of the ethos of neighbourhood photo studios in Indian cities reveals entire imaginary worlds in the smallest of spaces. Tiny, shabby studios that appear stuck in time turn out to be places throbbing with energy. As full of surprises as the people who frequent them and the backdrops they enjoy posing against and the props they choose. Yet beneath the fun and games runs an undercurrent of foreboding. Not everyone enjoys being photographed; not every backdrop is beautiful; not all photos are taken on happy occasions. The cities themselves become backdrops, their gritty urban reality a counterpoint to the whimsical photo palaces.

The film is currently being screened at private screenings and Film Festivals at home and abroad, and most viewers seem to find things that satisfy, amaze, intrigue, or disturb them. It premiered in IDFA, Amsterdam; Since then it has been shown in 1001 documentary fest, Istanbul; GIFT, Taiwan; and will be shown in Docfest, Munich; Documenta, Madrid; Golden Apricot, Armenia; Ecofilms, Greece and several other festivals.

dsaff shorts II: 8:00pm at DMA
breaking the future: 30 mins, English
Directed by Jean Sharida and Louis Spoelstra
All over India traditions and rituals are kept alive out of respect. They are the reason that social relations are fixed and that developments are curbed. That's why the uneducated stay uneducated and the losers remain losers. The idea that "you are born to do what you must do" is the prevailing view which can’t be altered. But there are organizations which try to change this. Right in making use of traditions in which songs, dance and theater are important.
trailblazing: the women of nepal's trekking industry: 25 mins, English
Directed by Lisa Hoffe
"Trailblazing" documents the pioneering spirit and determination of the fledgling few women trekking guides working in a male-dominated adventure tourism industry and a conservative mountain culture. The story centers around three sisters, who operate the first and only female owned trekking agency in Nepal. They saw a need for female guides when women travelers returned from treks reporting incidents of inappropriate or harassing behaviour from their male guides. Now the high demand for female guides has prompted the sisters to train approximately 20 to 25 young women twice a year to build capacity for women in the industry, also a first in Nepal.
wirelessly: 6 mins, English
Directed by Caustoobh Bezboruah
A family. A cell phone. Trouble is just a ring away.


Sunday, August 8th
diwali: 12:30 pm at DMA
70 mins, English
Directed by Mehul Shah
This film is the first film directed by Dallas native Mehul Shah (a 2 year volunteer with DSAFF). The story follows the lives of three children, Anjali, a young English Literature major, her brother, Mihir, a medical student, and Priti, a young mother as they all come home during the time of Diwali, the Indian festival and celebration of lights. As each child arrives home, they bring with them various secrets in their lives that they hide from one another.

ragpickers: scavengers of a different graveyard duration: 2:30 pm at DMA
54 mins, English
Directed by Tina Schmidt, Priti Chandriani, and Brahmanand Singh
It is estimated that in Mumbai, there are 85,000 Ragpickers (the name by which garbage collectors are popularly known in india).This highly independant and industrious lot also ekes out a living by sorting out and selling a large part of the city's increasing load of waste(nearly 8,000 tons per day). What is their world like? What draws them to an unromantic workplace like various dumping centers and garbage bins around the city? What is the gap between their dreams and their reality? What do they feel about the world which offers them only thrash? How do they grapple with their problems that range from bringing home money for the next meal to running an errant household to pitching small dreams for their children?

The film, RAGPICKERS, scavengers of a different graveyard, attempts to explore this world of theirs and create a sensitive potrayal of a group of people who rarely move away from the fringe.Yet, they live a brave life, seldom compromising on their inherent dignity.

lo aaya samir: 3:30 pm at DMA
65 mins, English
Directed by Jitender Kheterpal
Samir is a second generation Indian living in America. He lives in his own world of dreams hoping one day he will become a STAR in Bollywood films. Since childhood, he has actively taken part in theater, dance performances, TV ads and runway / ramp shows. Samir's parents moved to USA with an-intent of giving him a chance for better opportunity and instead Samir sees himself on the big screen in India. He has strong values and is close to his roots. Being determined to follow his dreams, Samir drops out of Computer Engineering and leaves for Bollywood against his parents will.

As we know, reality is different from dreams. Is Samir ready for a rude awakening? Does he find success in Bollywood or does he come back to America? Come see “Lo Aaya Samir”, an entertainer for your family.

american ramadan: 6:00 pm at SMU
50 mins
Directed by Naeem Randhawa
A bold and exciting new look at the American Muslim experience, produced and masterfully captured by first time Dallas-native director Naeem Randhawa. "American Ramadan" explores and reveals the holiest of rituals, shared by the Abrahamic traditions, but practiced by more - the act of Fasting for Faith. As diverse as the fabric of America, from the divorced Dad, the student coping with school, work and family life, the convert to Islam and his Indonesian wife, an interracial couple, and the wife of an incarcerated businessman - the reality of life is vividly and emotionally witnessed on film.

best of 4th DSAFF: 7:00 pm at SMU
Unknown
Directed by Unknown as of now
If you can only make one screening this entire weekend, cancel some other plans! No seriously, in that case this one would be the one you want to make it to for sure. The DSAFF crew will pick the best of all films that were screened the entire weekend. Of course, since the focus will be on diversity and making sure we get a good number of films in there - we will focus on the shorts. Time restrictions will make it difficult to chose a feature length film. So head over to the SMU campus and get ready for a fun, thoughtful way to end your sunday evening.

Submissions: Call for Entries Now Closed