3rd i’s San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival October 22-25

3rd i’s San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival
October 22-25, New People Cinema and Castro Theater, San Francisco
November 1, CineArts Theater, Palo Alto

3rd i's 13th annual SF International South Asian Film Festival presents some of the best documentaries and indie narratives from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, UK and the USA. This year’s Focus on Freedoms brings us inspiring stories from the front lines of the struggle for gender equality, and also examines the legacy of freedom for India and Pakistan – historically, and in the continuing conundrum of Kashmir. Art cinema – both contemporary and classic, and comedies – both Bollywood and indie, find a place on the program. Bay Area Filmmakers, shorts and live performances make a strong showing at the festival. More information, including expanded program and ticketing information, is available on our website at: http://www.thirdi.org
Thursday, October 22
7:15pm Jai Ho Opening Night Film
Umesh Aggarwal, India, 2014, 85mins
An unparalleled personal look into one of the most iconic musicians of our time – A.R.Rahman, the award-winning composer of the soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire.

Friday, October 23
7:15pm Me, My Mom, and Sharmila
Fawzia Mirza, USA, 2015, 65mins
Live Performance! Told through the lens of two women’s shared love for glamorous Bollywood film star - Sharmila Tagore, Fawzia Mirza's hilarious and heart-breaking performance chronicles her coming-of-age as a queer woman of color.

9:15pm Dheepan
Jacques Audiard, France, 2015, 109mins
Winner of the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor, the Palme D'Or, Jacques Audiard's (A Prophet) powerful immigrant tale is a celebration of the human spirit.

Saturday, October 24
1:00pm Haider
Vishal Bharadwaj, India, 2014, 162mins
Vishal Bharadwaj's acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare – Haider – brings the passion of Hamlet to life by masterfully fusing Bollywood scale and spectacle with indie sensibilities.

4:15pm The Crow’s Egg (Kaaka Muttai)
M. Manikandan, India, 2014, 99mins
Two young brothers set out to realize their dream: to get their first taste of pizza, in this vivid and hopeful portrait of urban street kids in Chennai.

6:30pm Tigers
Danis Tanovic, India/France/UK, 2014, 90mins
A gripping feature film based on the true story of a young Pakistani salesman who challenges the system when he discovers the devastating effects of the infant formula he is selling.

8:00pm Festival Reception @ Castro Mezzanine

9:00pm PK
Rajkumar Hirani, India, 2014, 152mins
Bollywood at the Castro! Superstar Aamir Khan shines as the titular PK, an inquisitive space alien who lands on Earth and shakes up society, deftly poking fun at the foibles of earthlings.

Sunday, October 25
1:00pm Labor of Love
Aditya Vikram Sengupta, India, 2014, 84mins
Sengupta's lyrical and intimate film, one of the most celebrated films on the festival circuit last year, offers a unique cinematic experience about the lives of an ordinary working couple in Calcutta.
3:00pm Silence of the Courts
Prasanna Vithanage, Sri Lanka, 2015, 57mins
Prasanna Vithanage's thought-provoking film is a carefully crafted indictment of institutionalized forms of power that follows the story of two women who seek justice for being sexually abused by a Judge.

5:00pm Coast to Coast: Mumbai to the Mission
Various, India/Canada/UK/USA, 2013-2015, 85mins
From the streets of San Francisco to the sidewalks of Bombay, this year's outstanding set of shorts offer us profiles of culture, celebration, courage and change!

7:00pm [Brown Girl Stoner Film]
Tanuj Chopra, USA, 2015, 60mins
A smart and sassy comedy, featuring show-stopping performances by Pia Shah and Emily C. Chang, this project-in-development from Tanuj Chopra (director of Punching at the Sun, and shorts Pia and Clap, Clap) is a 'high'-light of the festival.

9:00pm Closing Night Party @ DOSA

November 1, 2015
12:00noon Voices of Partition
A personal and evocative document on memory and reconciliation, A Thin Wall (Mara Ahmed, India/Pakistan, 2015, 64mins) is infused with music and poetry. Followed by a panel discussion organized by the 1947 Partition Archive.

2:45pm Petals in the Dust
Nyna Pais Caputi, USA, 2015, 90mins
This empowering doc attempts to shed light on the enormous problems of gender violence in India by exploring its cultural origins, and by profiling the unimaginable stories of brave survivors. Followed by panel discussion.

5:15pm Jai Ho
Umesh Aggarwal, India, 2014, 85mins
An unparalleled personal look into one of the most iconic
musicians of our time – A.R.Rahman, the award-winning composer of the soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire.

7:15pm Om Dar-B-Dar
Kamal Swaroop, India, 1988, 98mins
Digitally Restored Version! Touted as 'the great Indian LSD trip', this cult classic premiered to rave reviews at the Berlin Film Festival, and has achieved mythological status in India, influencing a whole generation of filmmakers.