Tasveer Newsletter

Tomorrow night is Aaina's Opening Night!!

Experience the only dinner-theater in Seattle. Many thanks to Central Cinema who have modified their menu to accommodate South Asian taste palate. Scrumptious sandwiches, pizzas, snacks, and CHAI will be available all weekend long.

Also don't miss Rita Meher's short film "Sitarey" featuring Udita Sharma, Farah Nousheen, and Shelly Kamran which will world premiere Opening Night.

We are including the complete schedule below for your convenience:

Aaina: South Asian Women Film Focus

MARCH 24-26, 2006

Aaina, which in Urdu means mirror, is a 3-day film focus on the works of remarkable South Asian women. Aaina will celebrate the outstanding films with themes of unfailing courage, joy, resilience, and creativity that tell South Asian women_s life stories _ of the subcontinent and abroad, of yesterday and today, beyond caste, class, and religion. All people, of any gender and race, are invited to engage in active dialog about the lives of women of South Asia. So join us for this unique event, support us in our effort, and be inspired!

Aaina will be held on the occasion of the International Women_s Month. All programs are held at Central Cinema, 1411 21st Avenue, Seattle, WA. There is no advanced ticketing or festival pass. All tickets will be available at the door. Ticket prices are available on the website.

Aaina: South Asian Women Film Focus is presented by Tasveer and made possible by the contributions and support of Humanities Washington, The Bo M. Karlsson Scholarship; Business Sponsors: Retail Therapy, Vijya and Associates, Marigold Fair Trade Imports; Community Sponsors: Chaya, Dosti, Jazbah; Media Sponsor: KBCS 91.3FM Community Radio.

Friday March 24th
7:00pm Aaina - Opening with local South Asian Women filmmakers, dancers, and community leaders.

Saturday March 25th
12:30pm Born to Sing (Shikha Jhingan, India) Explores a rich musical and oral tradition kept alive by women of Punjab.

2:00pm Shorts Program featuring Seattle Premieres, including "Saayey" starring Nandita Das

4:00pm Short Films by Beena Sarwar, a Pakistani artist, journalist and filmmaker active in the women's rights, and peace movements in Pakistan. Sponsored by Jazbah.

7:00pm Sancharram - The Journey (Ligy Pullappally, India) In rural Kerala, Delilah and Kiran, discover new feelings growing out of their long-time friendship.

9:00pm UnLimited Girls (Paromita Vohra, India) An exploration of engagements with feminism told through the conversations in an online chatroom.

Sunday March 26th
12:30pm Manjuben Truckdriver (Sherna Dastur, India) Follows Manjuben, a woman truckdriver, as she drives to various locations, breaking gender stereotypes.

2:00pm Desperately Seeking Helen (Eisha Marjara, Canada) To the Indian film mecca of Bollywood and back, Marjara searches for herself through her childhood film idol, Helen.

4:00pm Afghanistan Unveiled (Aina Women Filming Group, Afghanistan) Explores the effects of the Taliban_s repressive rule and U.S. bombing campaign on Afghani women. Sponsored by Retail Therapy.

6:00pm Daughters of Everest (Sapana Sakya/ Ramyata Limbu, Nepal) Documents the first Mt Everest expedition by an all Sherpa women team. Sponsored by Nepal Seattle Society and Bo M. Karlsson Scholarship

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This newsletter is from Tasveer, a community-based not-for-profit organization promoting independent South Asian film in the Northwest. Tasveer hosts numerous screenings throughout the year and produces the annual Independent South Asian Film Festival (ISAFF). Email info@tasveer.org if you would to be added or removed from this list. Visit www.tasveer.org for more information.

MEDIA ALERT: FILMMAKER GRACE LEE TO APPEAR ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA MONDAY, MARCH 27

THE GRACE LEE PROJECT OPENS MARCH 31 IN LOS ANGELES AT THE LAEMMLE'S FAIRFAX FOR AN EXCLUSIVE ONE WEEK ENGAGEMENT

Filmmaker GRACE LEE will appear on Good Morning America Monday, March 27th in conjunction with the release of her film, THE GRACE LEE PROJECT which opens exclusively in Los Angeles on Friday, March 31st at Laemmle's Fairfax. Hailed by Variety as "a funny but complex meditation on identity, ethnicity and cultural expectations," THE GRACE LEE PROJECT is an entertaining exploration of how the name "Grace Lee" plays a part in what it means to be an Asian woman in America. An unofficial expert in the field of identity, director Grace Lee will join GMA anchors (and a number of their namesakes) to test how much influence having or sharing a name defines who you are or what you do. Good Morning America airs on the ABC network from 7 - 9AM PST. Check your local listings.

When Korean-American writer/director Grace Lee was growing up in Missouri, she was the only Grace Lee she knew. But when she later moved to New York and California, everyone she met seemed to know "another Grace Lee." But why did they assume that all Grace Lees were nice, dutiful, piano-playing bookworms? Pursuing the moving target of Asian American female identity, filmmaker Grace Lee plunges into a clever, highly unscientific investigation into all those Grace Lees who fit the stereotype and those who break the mold - from the multi-talented over achievers to a fiery 88 year-old social activist to a rebel who tried to burn down her high school! With wit and charm, THE GRACE LEE PROJECT puts a hilarious spin on the eternal question "What's in a name?"

Named one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film," Lee has directed shorts that have screened at festivals worldwide including Berlin, Tribeca and Los Angeles. Her film, BARRIER DEVICE, starring Sandra Oh (SIDEWAYS, GREY'S ANATOMY), won the 2002 Student Academy Award, a Director's Guild of America Student Award, LA Asian Pacific Film Festival's Golden Reel Award and Urbanworld's Grand Jury Prize. The film was broadcast on the Sundance Channel.

Grace Lee is currently in pre-production on her next feature, AMERICAN ZOMBIE.

THE GRACE LEE PROJECT was produced and directed by Grace Lee, edited and co-produced by Amy Ferraris, and executive produced by In-Ah Lee. Running Time: 68 minutes. Distributed by Women Make Movies.

To view the trailer or download images, please visit: http://www.gracelee.net

For all other press requests, please contact: Julie La'Bassiere 310 231 3308 or julie@redgiraffeent.com

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Northwest Asian American Film Festival is a production of Northwest Asian American Theatre.
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// posted by Wes on Friday, March 24, 2006  /