The second annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival (SFISAFF) arrives this year on November 13 with a two-day program giving Bay Area moviegoers a sample of art house classics, documentary films, and the latest Bollywood sizzle. The SFISAFF features appearances by filmmakers, an afternoon reception, and the latest in innovative and experimental short films by UK and Bay Area filmmakers. 

The SFISAFF program opens on Saturday, November 13 at the Castro Theatre at 1 pm with the screening of legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak’s last film ‘Jukti Takko Aar Gappo’ (India, 1974) in which Ghatak plays the lead role himself; an intellectual taking an emotional journey through his life, memories, loves, and friendships. Ritwik Ghatak has come to be regarded as one of the most influential directors of Indian independent cinema. This is a unique opportunity to see Ghatak’s most autobiographical and allegorical film.

The program continues at 4:30 pm with ‘Second Generation’ (UK, 2003), a made-for-television soap opera by Jon Sen, with a dream cast including Parminder Nagra (ER, Bend It Like Beckham), Om Puri (East is East), Anupam Kher (Beckham), Rita Wolfe (My Beautiful Laundrette), and Roshan Seth (Gandhi) while Asian underground musician Nitin Sawhney provides the electrifying soundtrack. Parminder Nagra will be available for a question and answer session after the screening of the film. The film is preceded by an invitation-only reception for filmmakers, sponsors, and special guests. 

Celebrate Bollywood at the Castro at 8:15 pm, with the screening of the latest blockbuster ‘Main Hoon Naa’ with a star-studded cast including heartthrob Shahrukh Khan. With flamboyant sets, action sequences, catchy musical scores, and scintillating romance, ‘Main Hoon Naa’is a feature that the whole family will enjoy. 

The SFISAFF program on Sunday, November 14 at the Roxie Theatre begins with a 1 pm screening of ‘Anahaat’ (India, 2003), based on a play by Surendra Verma and directed by Amol Palekar. A consummate love story and a journey of sexual awakening, explored through the 6th century custom of Niyog, where the Queen must pick a mate for the sole purpose of producing an heir. The 3 pm screening of ‘Laatoo’ (Pakistan/ France, 2003) by filmmakers Faizaan Peerzada and Alix Phillippon, investigates the state of classical dance in Pakistan, from Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Odissi to more commercial forms of dance. Followed at 5 pm by ‘Starkiss: Circus Girls In India’ (The Netherlands, 2002), by documentarians Chris Relleke and Jascha de Wilde, that explores the lives of Nepalese girls who perform dangerous and daring acrobatics in the oldest circus in India.

Our two-day festival wraps up with a wonderful mix of experimental films by South Asian Women filmmakers and British South Asians. At 7 pm starts a compilation of shorts by South Asian Women filmmakers from the San Francisco Bay Area featuring the award-winning documentary ‘A Certain Liberation’ (Bangladesh, 2004). Followed at 9:10 pm by The British Are Coming, a compilation of satirical and serious short films offering a unique perspective of South Asian filmmakers from England.

The festival is presented by 3rdI, a national organization dedicated to sharing diverse images of South Asians through monthly screenings of feature and short films in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington DC. The range of South Asian cinema that 3rd I and SFISAFF represent includes filmmakers and audiences from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tibet, as well as from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the South Asian Diaspora. In a press release issued here, festival directors Ivan Jaigirdar and Camille Ramani thanked the key sponsors of the festival including California Institute for Integral Studies, Center for South Asian Studies at UC Berkeley, psPrint, Hyphen Magazine, and India West. “3rd I is also grateful for the continuous support of the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Wallace Alexander Foundation,” said the release.

All shows are $8 (not including online processing fees). The SFISAFF passes are $43 for the entire festival. Tickets can be purchased online or at the theatre box office on the day of the festival 45 minutes before screening time. The San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival plays on November 13 at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street in San Francisco; and November 14 at the Roxie Cinema, 3117 16th Street at Valencia in San Francisco. For more information about the festival and films please visit the festival website at www.thirdi.org/festival or call 415 835-4782.