The 25th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival runs April 30-May 7. Below are some of the South Asian movies to be shown. For addresses and complete listings, go to www.vconline.org/festival.
(Un)Ravel (Udedhbun) (India, 2007)
Ashu is leaving his boyhood behind and growing up into a man. His mother is dying. A boy at school torments him. He is attracted to his neighbor’s wife. He must reinvent himself. Directed by Siddharth Sinha. 21 min., in Hindi with English subtitles. Sunday, May 3. 12 p.m.
Rhythm (Tala) (Australia, 2008)
Tala is a story about relationship, between Beena and her mother, Maya. The story centers on an event that will change their relationship forever. To deal with the trouble in her life, Beena throws herself into her dance she so passionately loves. It is a story about learning to live with imperfections and to forgive. Directed Anoar Ahmed. 14 min.
Showing with:
Canda (United States, 2007)
Part memoir, part fiction, Canda is the story of a young, half-Indian girl who struggles with her Scientologist mom and her two younger siblings as the family attempts to move from San Francisco to Vancouver in a VW bug. Directed by Anjali Sundaram. 16 min. Showing as part of the shorts program “Life in Motion.” Sunday, May 3, 5 p.m.
Karma Calling (United States, 2008)
What happens when a bunch of hapless Hindus get mixed up with an underworld don with connections to an Indian call center? Meet the Raj family, deep in denial about its creeping credit card debt, dodging collection notices and phone calls. When eldest daughter Sonal finally picks up the phone, she meets Rob Roy, a call center operator like no other. Little does she know that he’s oceans away. Her brother, Shyam, a college drop-out, is busy dreaming of becoming the next Dr. Dre (peddling his hip hop album Hapa Means Weed in Japanese). But romance is in the air for him, too, in the form of Radha, a village girl newly arrived in America to marry a Dollar Store mogul. As for youngest daughter Jamuna, she just wants a bat mitzvah—and another bag of Doritos. Directed by Sarba Das. Showing co-sponsored by India Currents. 90 min.
Showing with:
What Happened on the Fourth Date (United States, 2008)
Margaret, who has been on three previous dates with Jonathan, decides to invite him back to her place after the fourth date. But when heseems less than eager to get things going, Margaret starts to wonder what’s up. All is explained by the arrival of a third “person” in this surreal comedy about dating, with a Freudian twist. Directed by Vijay Mathew. 14 min. Sunday, May 3. 2:30 p.m.
Kanchivaram (India, 2007)
Set in pre-independence India, this very different yet powerful piece tells the story of Vengadam, a born optimist and weaver of saris. Alas, because of Vengadam’s lowly status, he can never afford what he creates. At the birth of his daughter he pledges to wrap her in the finest silk on the day of her wedding—to the dismay of his community who believe that if such a promise is not fulfilled, a curse will follow. Desperate to fulfill his promise, Vengadam steals a thread of silk each day, weaving secretly each night. His world is turned inside out when a communist preacher arrives—and Vengadam tries to break an ancient feudal system. But without access to the silk he cannot fulfill his promise. Directed by Priyadarshan. 117 min., in Tamil with English subtitles. Showing co-sponsored by India Currents. Sunday May 3, 7:30 p.m.