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2011 Passport: India
Milwaukee Film announces a new country-focused program for the 2011 Milwaukee Film Festival, spotlighting the home of the world’s most prolific film industry: India. Home to multiple regional film industries based in each of the country’s major languages, it is the most-attended cinema in the world. Like the Indian national economy, it is also undergoing a time of transition—as “Hindie” cinema splinters from Bollywood.
With Passport: India, Milwaukee Film aims to cover the wide scope of films that are representative of Indian cinema--from more traditional, contemporary Bollywood hits like the jaw-dropping sci-fi extravaganza Robot and documentaries made by outsiders like the sobering Bhopali on the lingering effect of the Union Carbide gas leak to the inspiring independent film I am Sindhutai Sapkal, a fictional biopic on the legendary Sindhutai Sapkal, who in the face of extreme personal hardship found the strength to create five orphanages and defend the rights of the downtrodden.
"What better way to launch our new country-focused program than to spotlight the home of the largest film industry in the world, India." says Jonathan Jackson, Artistic and Executive Director of Milwaukee Film. "Passport: India brings to Milwaukee audiences legendary actors (Amitabh “Big B” Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, and Aamir Khan), show-stopping song and dance, hard-hitting documentaries, and a bold new film from a young director that’s shattering all preconceived notions of romance in Indian cinema." This special program was put together with assistance from local filmmaker Lajwanti Waghray.
Milwaukee Film Festival’s Passport: India seeks to show that Indian cinema is much more than “Bollywood.” Tula Goenka, Associate Professor of Television-Radio-Film at Syracuse University, filmmaker, and author of the forthcoming book, Not Just Bollywood: Conversations with Indian Filmmakers explains, "Contemporary Indian cinema is pushing past its popular image by creating films that push the envelope both in storytelling content and form." Goenka will present and lead a discussion, "Not Just Bollywood," on Saturday, September 24, 2pm, in Room 316 of Kenilworth Square East (1925 E. Kenilworth Place).
Passport: India lineup:
This high-voltage drama delves into the current debate over India's caste-based version of affirmative action—with a danceable Bollywood soundtrack.
In this colorful portrait of modern India, a pudgy, dance-obsessed detective investigates crimes when he’s not rehearsing for a reality-show audition.
Bhopali
Award-winning director Van Maximilian Carlson paints a chilling portrait of lives shattered by the Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal, India.
This gritty tale trails Gandu, an explosive 20-year-old with a penchant for thrash-rap and a name that translates to “asshole.”
After being abused and abandoned, Sindhutai Sapkal finds the strength to found five orphanages and defend the rights of the downtrodden.
A coach enters a 4-year-old in marathons after seeing him dash through an Indian slum, but child endangerment accusations threaten to cut both of their careers short.
Though separated by class and culture, an artist, a laundry boy, and a banking exec turned photographer connect in ways they never dreamed possible in this Bollywood about-face.
India’s inaugural sci-fi flick features riveting song-and-dance routines and a Frankenstein-inspired story of a lovesick robot.
Tickets for all films will go on sale September 7 for Milwaukee Film members and September 8 for the general public.
