For the first time in its 10-year history, the Seattle South Asian Film Festival (SSAFF) is coming to Redmond.
On Friday, the SecondStory Hideaway at 7425 166th Ave. N.E., Suite C24 in Redmond Town Center will show three films as part of the 12-day film festival: “The Journey Within” (Pakistan), “Magizhvan” (India) and “Big Time: My Doodled Diary” (India/U.S.).
THE FILMS
“The Journey Within,” directed by Mian Adnan Ahmad, will screen at 7 p.m. The film tells the story of the journey of a music show that helped to reclaim Pakistan’s music heritage, post 9/11. “Magizhvan,” directed by Mani Shankar Iyer, begins at 9 p.m. and is based on a same-sex love story complicated by religion and family. “Big Time: My Doodled Diary,” directed by Sonali Gulati, will follow “Magizhvan” in the same screening and is the story of a teenaged girl growing up and coming out in the 1980s in India.
Tickets are free but limited, so moviegoers are encouraged to reserve their tickets in advance on the SSAFF website: www.ssaff.tasveer.org.
Joshua Heim, arts administrator for the City of Redmond, said while “The Journey Within,” will be a standalone screening, the other two films will be paired together as a double feature.
COMBATTING DISCRIMINATION THROUGH FILM
SSAFF is put on by Tasveer, an organization whose mission is to cultivate the artistic work of South Asians through films, forums, visual art, performances that engage and empower the community.
Heim said Tasveer was founded in the aftermath of 9/11, when Sikhs and Muslims were targeted, harassed and discriminated against following the terrorists attacks. He said Tasveer (which means “picture” in Hindi and Urdu) co-founders Rita Meher and Farah Nousheen wanted to dispel the myths surrounding South Asians and educate people about their cultures. Their goals were to increase the awareness of South Asian countries and cultures from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as to use independent South Asian film as a vehicle to give voice to marginalized communities.
“These films touch on themes of upholding cultural identity and love in the face of extreme challenges,” said Meher, who is also the festival’s executive director, in a City of Redmond press release. “Social issues like these are on the minds of South Asians everywhere, even here in Redmond.”
The first SSAFF was in 2004.
In addition, Tasveer has added the South Asian International Documentary (SAID) film festival and its annual Aaina women’s festival to its lineup.
SERVING THE POPULATION
SSAFF, Heim said, offers this opportunity as people can explore and learn about South Asian cultures and their varying and rich experiences. He added that the festival supports independent films, which can offer an alternative perspective from the well-known Bollywood film industry that predominantly features northern Indian culture. Whereas Redmond has a large south Indian population, Heim said.
“One in 10 people in Redmond is of Indian descent,” said Jessica Rubenacker, Arts Season grant program coordinator, in the release. “Supporting organizations like Tasveer not only serves this community but bringing projects like the Seattle South Asian Film Festival to Redmond helps to build bridges across cultural communities. It’s been a great partnership.”
In the release, Meher said they wanted to come to Redmond to be closer to their community.
“I live in Sammamish, work in Redmond, in a cultural office space generously donated by Redmond,” she said. “By adding Redmond as our new city, Tasveer can help promote it as a new cultural hub. It’s been wonderful to engage people in conversations and discussions on some of the key South Asian issues that are of both local and global significance so close to home.”
In addition, Heim said SSAFF can offer non-South Asian residents the opportunity to better understand these cultures.
EXPANDING THE ARTS
The festival is coming to Redmond through an Arts Season grant Tasveer received from the City of Redmond. According to the city press release, the goal of the city’s Arts Season grant program is to “ensure residents have access to a robust season of high-quality arts and cultural programs all year long.” In addition, the release states that the grant provides Tasveer with space at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center to use as a home base for the festival, which is the largest South Asian film festival in the country.
SSAFF 2015 began Oct. 15 and the festival will run through Sunday. This year’s lineup includes 32 feature films and 27 shorts representing nine countries.
The application period for the next round of Arts Season grants is currently open. The city seeks arts and cultural projects that will be implemented in the community between March 1 and Sept. 30, 2016. Another application period for projects implemented between Oct. 1, 2016 and Feb. 29, 2017, will open next spring. The application can be found on the city’s website at www.redmond.gov/arts and are due on Nov. 16.
For more information about the Arts Season grant program, contact Rubenacker at (425) 556-2367 or jarubenacker@redmond.gov.
