Dialogues 2010 schedule

DIALOG GUES 4 Annnual Calcutta Lesbian L Gay Biisexual T Transgeender Film & Viideo Feestival Scheedule th

Fridayy, Nov 19, 1 2010 Inauggural Sesssion: 6 pm p

Inauguural Film

Navarrasa (20055) Dir: Santtosh Sivan Countryy: India Run Tim me: 99 min Swetha, 13, discovers that her uncle Gautham m dresses ass a woman once night has falleen. Intrigued d, she asks him about him, h and he confesses her h that his dream wou uld be to escape tto Koovagam m, a little cityy in the Soutth of India, w where transvvestites gather to perpettuate the myth of Aravan. Oncce he disappears, Swethaa goes after him, withoutt warning heer parents...

• Winner of th he National A Award for Beest Tamil film m.

• Shown at the prestigiouss Pusan Interrnational Film m Festival & Oceanic Film m Festival

Saturrday, Noov 20, 20010 Mornning Sesssion: 9 am Workkshop foollowed by b film

A Worksshop

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Worksho op to be con nducted by Filmmaker Raaka Dutta

Raka Du utta is an in ndependent filmmaker based b in Ca alcutta. Her Chinese Wh hispers was selected amongst other lead ding film festtivals, at Cannnes International Film Festival F in 20 007. Amor (2 2005) and Little Meermaids (2008 8) are two off Raka’s films that are partt of 4th DIALO OGUES.

op pre‐registrration necesssary.

Worksho Registration begins o on Saturday, Nov 20, 2010 0 at 9 a.m.

Seats lim mited.

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TRANSCENDIN NG BOUN NDARIES: Exploring Queernesss Through Cinema

Speciial Screeening: 12:15pm Film: Daayra (11996)

Dir: Amo ol Palekar Countryy: India Run Tim me: 90 min Named TThe Square Circle the film explores the relattionship betw ween a child d and an older traansgendered actor, playeed by the late awaard winning actor Nirmal Pandey (of Band dit Queen fam me). Pandey holds an extremely unique reecord for win nning a Bestt Actress aw ward, at the 1997 Francee's Valencien nnes Film nsvestite in D Daayra. He shared the Beest Actress aw ward with th he female Festival for his portraayal of a tran lead of the film Sonalli Kulkarni at the French Film Festival.

Afterrnoon Seession: 3 pm

Be Likke Otherss (2008) Dir: Tannaz Eshaghiaan Countryy : Iran

Run tim me: 74 min In the Isslamic Republic of Iran, a country with w strict social mores m and traditional values, seex‐change operatio ons are leggal. Yet ho omosexualityy is still punishable by death h. With Iran n's internatio onal arms negotiattions dominaating news headlines worldwide, w a very p private kind of drama is unfolding beehind the scenes. Highly femin nine and attrracted to meembers of me sex, yet fo orced to livee in secret fo or fear of the sam retributiion, a generation of yo oung Iranian n men are adoptingg an identity legally allowed a to them—trans t ssexual. Iran nian‐Americaan filmmake er Tanaz Eshaghiaan accompanies severral young men as th hey contem mplate and prepare for f their transforrmation, then n follows theem into and out of surge ery. Intimate and unflinch hing, BE LIKEE OTHERS is a fascinating look at those on the fringes o of Iranian life—those loo oking for accceptance thro ough the most rad dical of means.

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Dir : Ma arco S. Puccio oni Countryy : Italy Run time: 90 min The storry's protagon nists are threee people: A Anna, a wealth hy middle‐class 35‐year old woman who owns, together t w with her mother m and her brother,, a factory in n the northeeast of Italy;; she has a lo ove affair with w 25‐yearr‐old Mara, who works in n the factoryy; then theree's Anis, a yo oung man fro om Maghreb b who suddeenly storms into their livees.

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Shelteer Me [Ripparo] (20008)

Beautiiful Boxerr (2004) Dir: Ekkachai Uekro ongtham Countrry: Thailand Run Time: 118 min ns of Thailand'ss famed Based on the trrue story o transgender kickboxer, Beaautiful Boxe er is a poignaant action drama that p punches straight into the he eart and mind of a boy w who fights likke a man so he can becomee a woman. Believing he's a girl ed in a boy's body sincee childhood,, Parinya trappe Charoe enphol setss out to master th he most mascu uline and leth hal sport of TThai boxing tto earn a living and to ach hieve his ulttimate goal of total feminin nity. Touching, funny and packe ed with breathtaaking Thai kickboxing seq quences, Beaautiful Boxerr traces Nong Toom's childhood, tee enage life as a travveling monk and gruelingg days in boxxing camps.

Sundaay, Novv 21, 20100 Mornning Sesssion: 10 am It's Myy Life - A South S Asiaan Queer Story S in America (20009)

Dir: Raka Dutta Countryy: India Run Tim me: 30 min A short d documentaryy exploring th he textures off a relationship between two young meen from Calcu utta as they fall in love, and d deal with thee different aspects of ‘livin ng together’.

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Amor (2005)

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Directorr: Sarav Chith hambaram Run Tim me: 41 min It's my life ‐ A south h Asian Queeer Story in America do ocumentary iis first evver docum mentary thaat creates a dialogue between b Gay Asian (Indian n, and Straaight South A Pakistan ni, Banglaadeshi, Sri Lankan and more) ccommunity in USA. This T documentary is an attemptt to createe a positive visibilityy of the Soutth Asian GLBT commun nity and exposing many of the issues faceed by them m m culturallly at home far from home. TThe GLBT Community haas unique challenges as a a Minoritty within the minoritty commun nity and also o face many of the same issues the SSouth Asian ccommunity in general faces in the sttates as a minorityy communityy.

Pakhi… …A short film f about love (20099) Dir: Satyyaki Kundu Countryy: India Run Tim me: 25 min This film m shows us the life of o a lonely physically challenged girl, Pakhi who w happenss to fall in love. l The film m deals with her innocentt yet complexx relationship with her friend. TThey share m moments of ttheir lives, their love for things and eventuaally even Paakhi’s lonelin ness.

This con ntinues for sometime until Pakhi’s p parents com me to know about this deeep and dark secret. Thiss film got winning entry at a national short s and an nimation film competiition, held as part of thee French fesstival, Bonjour India, 2009..

Our Faamily (20077) Directorr: K.P. Jayasa ankar and An njali Monteirro Countryy: India Run Tim me: 56 min What do oes it mean to cross thaat line which h sharply d divides us on n the basis of gender? To o free oneeself of the socially s impo osed onus off being male, m to liberrate the fem male that liess within? In this film, sscenes from Nirvanam, aa one person performance in Tamil T which h exploress these queestions, are juxtaposed d with an a intimatee portrait of threee generatiions of trans‐gender t red femalee subjects, who are all bound togeether by tiess of adoption. In the t processs, the film m question ns notions of normalityy and fixed d gender identities.

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Dir: Raka Dutta Countryy: India Run Tim me: 30 min A little girl might have h an imaage of a wo oman who she aspires tto become, but growing up, she learrns how sociiety expects women to be, which makes m her uneasy. Through the conversation between two womeen who have successfful careers in n films, the program un nfolds the bu uilt‐ up feelin ngs of frustraation amonggst the womeen in India.

Selected d by NHK, Japan as part of their t series of documeentaries featu uring ‘India in New Era’

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Little Mermaids M ( (2008)

Differeent from thhe Others [Anders Als A Die Andern] (19199) Directorr: Richard Osswald Countryy: Germany Run Tim me: 51 min “Different From thee Others” is the first maajor gay‐ made, and stiill a work off genuine themed film ever m emotion nal power. Banned B soon n after its reelease in 1919, later burned b by the Nazis and believed d lost for decadess, it only surfaced in a fragmented print found in the Ukraine. The film, painstakingly restored d, using newly‐discovered film segmeents, still photos, and intertitles gleaneed from do ocuments (includin ng censorsh hip records)) found in several different archives, the t film hass at last achieved its p form m. The film itself emergees, even in fullest possible this (lovingly) cobbleed‐together form, as striiking in its grroundbreakin ng argumentts for the diggnity and naturaln ness of gay p people. It waas co‐written n by legendary gay‐rightss pioneer, Drr. Magnus Hiirschfeld, who also o has a cameeo role. Even n more, it comes across aas a deeply m moving storyy of two peop ple – two men – w who love each other desp pite the persecution of an intolerant society.

Afterrnoon Seession: 4 pm

Charitrram (2010) Dir: Pravvin Countryy: India Run Tim me: 11 min

In an old Brahmin Ilaam house, which w is situated in betw ween two time zonees, a 60 year old father P Parameswaraan and his so on Kannan who is a 30 years old d auto rickshaw driver llive. One daay Kannan brings home a girl caalled Shahinaa. He doesn’t know whe ere she is going or w where she iss coming from. He plays a trick and m makes his father allo ow her to staay with them m. Then starts a conflict, w which has

deeper historical conn notations.

Kusum (2010)

Dir: Shum mona Banerjeee Country: India Run Timee: 10 min A young transvestite e prostitute, Kusum, lockked up in her room, en enters gears up for a regular night likee any other, but just the Purab, an a out‐of‐jo ob ,obsessivve compulsive, suicidal English literaturee teacher, wiithout a cluee of the locaal language hoping h to spend hiis last night with a girl but finds h himself stuck with a boy!!Will these two p people, alike aas desperate misfits but o otherwise e a connecttion? Perhap ps like a flo ower bud so differrent, manage bursting through a crrack in the wall, w an unexpected begin nning will see them through.

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Dir: Satyyaki Kundu & & Priyam Countryy: India Run Tim me: 16 min

This story is about Sh hamik Halder and his virtual world. Chatting incognito Shamik falls in love with h someone h he meets on nline. The social neetworking site becomes their only me eans of communiccation. Unab ble to reveal his identity,, Shamik con ntinues in this virtual relationship p until destin ny takes a diffferent turn.. This film ned in the Ko olkata Film FFestival, 2008 8. was screen

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Dibarattri’r Kabyaa (2008)

Our Sttory (2009)

Our story iss the first documentary O d y produced in Sri Lankaa by the W Women’s Su upport Group p on the live es of women n who love w women. It Directorr: Anoma Ra ajakaruna g grew out of t the need to fill a blank sspace in the public conscciousness Countryy: Sri Lanka b by presentin ng to you th his constellaation of narrratives. In this t film, Run Tim me: 50 min w women talk to you of struggles and pleasures, o of finding the emselves

a and of growi ing up, of be eing alone an nd finding co ommunity. O Our story

g gives you a p plethora of e experiences tthat make up p our lives ass women

w who love wo omen in Sri Lanka.

Ha! Puurush (20066)

This is a film on n alternate sexuality. Sofft‐minded Anjan hates to t be a so calleed ‘MAN’. Th he whole ide ea to be a ‘MAN’ ‘ seems very insan ne to him.

Directorr: Manash Ba asu MAN N has to be possessive, destructive,, macho, rud de and all th hat which Countryy: India him Anju, are n not human q qualities. As Anajn is eff eminate his friends call Run Tim me: 67 min Anju u darling. Anjjan knows th hese are all the hatred within them, tthe idea

w piece to to pinch and show him as girl, so an inferior. To them women aree not humann but a show men. A Anjan’s friend d Paromita ttakes a challenge to tran nsform him tto a macho man. On the e process

she find ds Anjan to b be a very goo od sole. She falls in love. But life has something eelse to offer.

T A Frriend (2010) More Than

Directorr: Debalina Countryy: India Run Tim me: 35 min Docu‐Feeature produ uced by Sap ppho for Equa ality. Rupsa is a filmmaaker.

Ranja teeaches in a ccollege. Theyy are in love w with each otther. Ignoring all the reproaches and a words of caution, they havve been liiving together for quite so ome time. Ru upsa is making a docum mentary on the public perception of samee‐sex relationsships in India. For that reason she has to meet a lo ot of portive of the issue, som me dismissive e, and otherss apprehensive of it. Me eanwhile, people –– some supp Ranja’s mother com mes to stay w with them. SShe has alwaays been a liittle uneasy with the ide ea of her daughteer’s being in love with an nother womaan. Their domestic help, Lakkhir ma,, also seems be wary of this relationship.. The film More M than a a Friend exp plores the lives and outtlooks of these four characteers in the co ontext of a ggrowing awareness about same‐sex rrelationshipss in India. Th he film is interspeersed with reeal‐life interrviews of peeople belongging to vario ous sections of the socie ety, who express their viewss on many related concerns and share s their experiencess of humiliattion and anxiety. The film does d not atttempt at an nswering all the questions it raisees, but presents the multifacceted nature of the debates around tthe subject.

Films aree subjected to o last minutes changes

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Directorrs: Matilda P Piehl & Alex FFridunger Countryy: South Africca Run Tim me: 30 min

"Are You a Girl or Wh hat?" shows the situatio on for a group of yo oung lesbian men [Lesbiaan men are persons who at their birth were identified ass biological ffemales, but who id dentify them mselves as m men with a lesbian sexuality] and how they survvive in a sexist, homophobic and often violent world in one of o South Africa's po oorest shanty towns,, Katlehongg near Johannesbu urg.

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Are Yoou A Girl or What? (2008)