Made In Japan Ramayan To Be Highlight At Filmi Festival

Saturday, July 19, 2003

Filmi 2003 is ready to launch its fourth year in the city, attracting local and international film-lovers alike. Keeping with the successes and tradition of past years, this South Asian film extravaganza will be presented in association with Masala! Mehndi! Masti!, North America's largest South Asian multi-disciplinary arts festival. This year, the event takes place at the York Quay Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, from August 8-10, 2003. Filmi will feature its opening film at the Royal Ontario Museum on August 7, 2003 and the closing film at the Art Gallery of Ontario on August 10, 2003.

The 4th Annual South Asian Film Festival will present a special combination of feature films, shorts and documentaries - showcasing local talent, as well as artists from around the world.

"We have grown in leaps and bounds since we started this movement four years ago. Whether you look at the number of film submissions or audience attendance or membership numbers, our growth - and our learning curve - has been exponential," says Dinesh Sachdev, co-founder and managing director of Filmi South Asian Film Festival. "We have always enjoyed the resounding support of the South Asian community, and we are now receiving the same recognition from mainstream audiences."

The programming for Filmi 2003 is strategically selected to highlight the diversity and evolution of today's motion picture industry in Canada. One of the major highlights of this year's festival is the Canadian premiere of The Prince of Light - the first-ever animated film presented by Filmi. This 5000-year-old legend of the Ramayan was transformed into a fully animated feature by Japanese producer/writer/director Yugo Sako and Hollywood producer/writer/director Krishna Shah. The Prince of Light won the 'Best Animation Film of the Year' award at the prestigious Santa Clarita International Family Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar in the feature-length animation category.

This year's closing film is 3 Walls by Nagesh Kukunoor, a pioneer of independent South Asian cinema and the director of the highest-grossing independent film in India, Hyderabad Blues. This is Nagesh's fourth film, which features well-known Bollywood stars such as Jackie Shiroff and Juhi Chawla. The Filmi 2003 line-up will also include the Canadian theatrical premiere of Agni Varsha by Arjun Sajnani, a movie by Canadian Director Vikram Yashpal - Trade Offs - as well as a special 'Backtrack' series.

"I came up with the idea of 'Backtrack' because I wanted to highlight particular films that were instrumental to the rise of the South Asian film industry," said Mohit Rajhans, co-founder and program director of Filmi. "I felt that both Karma Local and Bhopal Express belonged in this series."

All screenings at the York Quay Theatre will be free of charge and films screened off-site (including the ROM and the AGO) will be ticketed events.

Filmi South Asian Film Festival was founded by Mohit Rajhans and Dinesh Sachdev in 1999, with the goal to ignite a movement amongst South Asians in North America. As Filmi continues to grow and evolve, the vision remains the same: to continue the celebration of cinematic creations by talented South Asian filmmakers, and highlight works with South Asian themes to culturally diverse groups.