Tuesday, February 9, 1999
Sangam to screen unique South Asian films
FILM: Festival hopes to erase stereotypes, foster discussions
about issues
By Timothy Kudo
Daily Bruin Contributor
Offering films with topics ranging from the story of a
homosexual Pakistani man and his neo-Nazi lover to the experiences
of South Asians immigrating to the United States, Sangam is
presenting a film festival this week, hoping to break down
stereotypes about South Asians.
The group, which was formed last year, represents students from
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Afghanistan
"Manasa: A Free South Asian Film Festival," which starts
tonight, is being held in order to create awareness of South Asian
issues and to fight stereotypes, which create hostility toward
South Asians, according to festival organizers.
"I’m sick and tired of seeing Apu, the cab driver, the doctor
and the 7-11 owner in the media, all of whom are very stereotypical
representations of South Asians," said Rodney Ferrao, a festival
organizer and fourth-year English student.
As well as fighting stereotypes, the festival is an attempt to
talk about issues that Sangam is dealing with.
"We want to create a space for dialogue on issues we’re
covering, like domestic violence, homophobia, hate crimes and South
Asian American history," said Nirupama Jayaraman, a festival
organizer and third-year American literature and culture
student.
The festival almost did not occur because Sangam submitted its
proposal for funds to the Board of Directors Interaction Fund
Committee two hours late.
The Undergraduate Students Association Council voted at its
meeting Feb. 2 to allow Sangam to re-submit its proposal, even
though it was late.
If the group does not receive funding for the festival, it will
be in debt, organizers said.
"We’ll basically be in debt because we had to borrow money for
this," Jayaraman said.
The films being shown include "My Beautiful Launderette," which
is about a homosexual Pakistani man and his neo-Nazi lover, and
"Salaam Bombay," about a boy dealing with the harsh realities of
poverty in Bombay.
"It’s a good opportunity for some of us who are not that
familiar with South Asian films to get exposed to them," said Annu
Kristipati, a festival organizer and third-year international
economics student.
A discussion will be held after each movie to talk about the
movie and other issues. Many of these discussions will be led by
South Asian professors.
"We wanted to draw visibility to South Asian professors, many of
whom teach South Asian-related classes," Ferrao said.
Through this festival, Sangam hopes to get more people to
recognize the importance of South Asian studies on campus,
organizers said. Sangam is currently trying to get a South Asian
studies minor and is attempting to strengthen support for the
current South Asian studies classes.
"It was hard to get Hindi taught at UCLA and to this date the
Hindi program is always in risk of termination," Ferrao said.
The film billed as the highlight of the festival is "Roots in
the Sand," which is about the early South Asian immigration to
California. The director of the movie, Jayasri Hart, will stay
after the movie to lead the discussion.
"It was a very emotional experience for me because it grounded
our history, especially in California, as an event that is not
often talked about," Ferrao said.MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
Senior Staff
Mari Taluson of the Music of China Ensemble plays the erhu, a
two-stringed bowed lute. The UCLA Student Committee for the Arts
puts on a show the first Monday of each month.
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