Out of the movies I’ve seen thus far from 3rdi’s South Asian International Film Festival line-up only two have really stood out (The World Before Her and Okul Nodi), and both for different reasons.  Granted, I’ve only seen 6 of the 17 feature-length films, but if those first 6 are any indication as to what’s in store for the rest of the festival then I think, overall, it will be a worthwhile week of South Asian cinema watching.

Follow the jump to see my capsule reviews on 6 of the 18 films; Big in Bollywood, Herman’s House, Lucky, Okul Nodi, Valley of Saints, The World Before Her Read More…

Still not sure as to what you should or shouldn’t see at this year’s South Asian Film Festival?  Don’t fret, were here to help.  Hopefully our guide below will help you navigate through this year’s schedule and you will be able to get the most movie enjoyment for your buck.

3rd I South Asian’s Film Festival is being held at both the Roxie and Castro Theaters from November 9th to the 13th.  For information on showtimes click on the reviews.

Patang (The Kite) – “All around well acting, a subtle but effective script, and some beautiful cinematography converge to create one of the finest foreign dramas I’ve seen in quite some time.” – Adam

Big In Bollywood – “There is not one iota of any emotion other than happiness to be found within the playful behind the scenes look at the overnight mega-success of Omi Vaidya. This movie exists to show people that documentaries could be a lot of fun.” – Adam

Semshook – “Reminded me most of both Sean Penn‘s Into The Wild and Danny Boyle‘s 127 hours, minus the self-mutilation.” – Adam

Ashes – “Ashes is the directorial debut of actor Ajay Naidu (The Indian nerd in Office Space.)  The story takes place in Brooklyn and is quite dark.” – Adam

Delhi Belly – “A fart joke focused farcical romp of an antics infused Bollywood extravaganza. ” – Adam

I Am Sindhutai Sapkal – “The dramatization of the real life mother to over 1,000 children, with all but 3 being adopted.” – Adam

Play Like A Lion: The Legacy of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan – “If you are already somewhat familiar with Ali Akbar Khan or Alam Khan, which I was not, you might really enjoy this film.” – Nick

Way of Life – “A feature-length documentary that feels more like one of those films you might see at an awards ceremony before the honoree is presented with a lifetime achievement award.” – Adam

What Is Time? – “The filmmakers’ intentions to raise awareness towards the plight of Sri Lankans as they struggle to rebuild their lives after such an epic natural disaster (tsunami) failed to make the desired impact on me.” – Adam

Films we haven’t seen yet:

The Family Circus: Local Shorts – A collection of short films followed by a live performance

Gamperaliya (Changing Village) – Award winning 1964 saga of family and class conflict

A Letter of Fire – A mixture of Eastern and Western traditions with TV soap opera and experimental theatre.

Flying Fish – A film about Sri Lanka’s civil war

The Boxing Ladies + Shorts – 4 short films regarding gender and sexuality

The Image Threads (Chitrasutram) – A surrealist tale

Pudhupettai – A crime thriller

With the arrival of the 3rd I South Asian Film Festival comes yet another opportunity for Bay Area inhabitants to check out some of the best that South Asia has to offer up.  My theory is that since last year’s films were nothing to scoff at that this year’s selections shouldn’t be all that different.  With an emphasis placed on quality, last year the festival screened such worthwhile films as Gandu, Four Lions, In Camera, and The Blue Tower.

This year’s line-up looks to be just as strong.  Already I have been hearing a lot of good things about the documentary selections, particularly Big in Bollywood, and Way of Life.  Aside from the documentary field some other films that are catching my eye are Pudhupettai, a film to which the press release describes as “South India’s answer to Amores Perros and City of God”, Delhi Belly, which is being described as “The Hangover meets Snatch”.  This one also comes with a warning of “Adults Only”.  I love me some controversy! And then there’s Patang.  This film doesn’t benefit from any comparisons to any other films, but supposedly it has been making quite a stir at both the Tribeca and Berlin film festivals.

All the film’s will take place at the Roxie and The Castro Theaters.  The festival runs from November 9th to the 13th.  As always, be sure to check back with us as the festival nears for our guide of which films to see and which ones you might want to avoid.

Schedule and ticket info after the jump Read More…

For those of you looking for more South Asian films – not that there are ever that many playing to begin with – to hit the theatres, rejoice!  For five days, a slew of South Asian films are set to land in San Francisco, including the critically praised over-seas black comedy about a bumbling cell of wannabe jihadists, Four Lions (pictured on left).  I have been anticipating that one for some time now.  With over a dozen films to choose from, deciding which documentary, art-house, Bollywood film to see should  not be that hard.  Follow the jump for a full list of showtimes and how to purchase tickets. Read More…