Silk Screen festival embraces range of films
It's a movie-industry axiom that the movies are recession-proof -- even if people are postponing shopping and canceling vacations, they'll always find time and money for a few hours' escape in a darkened theater.
This recession, though, seems to be putting that axiom to the test. Hollywood is getting nervous.
Harish Saluja, founder of Silk Screen: Asian American Film Festival, knows that nothing can be taken for granted right now. In four short years, Silk Screen has become one of the brightest, fastest-growing events on Pittsburgh's cultural calendar -- but it's far from being an established institution with momentum of its own.
Luckily, through the support of Pittsburgh's Asian communities, film fans and a certain amount of hard work, Silk Screen will again brighten local screens from May 8 to 17, with films from Korea to Kabul (Afghanistan), and everywhere in between.
"Lots of nonprofits are not getting funded -- we are fortunate," Saluja says. "People get it that we are trying to do good work. It's encouraging. We decided primarily to go into survival mode. We planned on having more movies, guests, programming over the course of the year. Instead, we dialed back, to live within our means, instead of insisting on extravagant things. Instead of 35 movies, we're doing 17 this year. They're very nice films, but we're not bringing some stars and directors from overseas because each one costs $5,000 to $6,000."
Saluja, a writer, editor, painter, engineer, DJ (of "Music from India" Sunday nights on WDUQ 90.5FM) and filmmaker himself, has transformed Silk Screen from a labor of love into something surprising and beautiful -- a way for Pittsburgh's many different Asian communities to share something with each other and connect with the rest of the city.
"The purpose is not to inform Koreans about Korea and Indians about India," Saluja says. "We already know our cultures. The purpose is to have 'normal people' know about these cultures. Our aim was, 'Hey, there's a whole world out there, two thirds of the world's population, doing remarkable things. Here's beautiful, entertaining stuff, as a way to get to know these cultures.' "
Of course, the stunning success of Oscar-winner "Slumdog Millionaire" this past year is a nice coincidence for Silk Screen, which has always been packed with Indian films.
"It's a good thing -- I loved it -- though it's primarily, of course, a British film," Saluja says. "It's good to see a film getting recognition with Indian themes, which you wouldn't have guessed a few years ago.
"A.R. Rahman, the (composer) who won two Oscars for Best Song and Best Music -- I tried to get in touch with him when nobody knew who he was. I thought he was a genius. We had a small interchange of information about my next film, which didn't happen. Now, I'm sure he's out of my reach. But it's a good thing."
This year, however, the opening night film, "My Dear Enemy," is from Korea, not India -- staying true to Saluja's all-inclusive vision for Silk Screen.
"Kabuli Kid" represents the movie business beginning to bloom in troubled Afghanistan.
"A woman in a burka, covered head-to-toe, takes a taxi and leaves her infant boy in the taxi and abandons him," Saluja says. "It turns out that the taxi driver has two daughters and has been praying for God to give him a son. That's how the movie starts."
Like "Slumdog," a number of the featured films have polyglot, trans-national origins -- "Sita Sings the Blues" which retells one of the most famous Indian stories of all time, was made by an American.
"I'm not big on animation, but this is wonderfully entertaining," Saluja says. "The thing that interests me is that it takes the holy, sacrosanct Indian mythology of Rama, who is the incarnation of God, and Sita's story -- and looks at Rama's treatment of Sita from a whimsical, comedic and controversial point of view. It's a quasi-feminist, but funny, musical."
Nina Paley, the filmmaker, will do a Q&A after the screening of "Sita."
Saluja hopes that Silk Screen will begin to put Pittsburgh on the map for Asian culture, both nationally and internationally.
"So far, we've been getting people from Japan, India who we invited, Chicago, New York, Florida, Boston, D.C., San Francisco, who I have physically met, who came only for the festival," he says. "Some had other excuses -- they went to Pitt, they had an aunt living here. We do know that we had stories in n newspapers in Korea, Japan, China, India."
Audiences for the films have been all over the map -- but certainly not limited to Asians and Asian Americans.
"Sixty-seven percent of our audience is Caucasians, which is what I want," Saluja says. "The whole purpose of our festival and programming is to introduce people from Western Pennsylvania and wherever to Asian culture. And I think we're succeeding."
The Red Carpet Gala on Friday is always a perfect distillation of what Silk Screen is about -- a Downtown party packed with revelers in colorful ethnic attire, dancing to Indian bhangra, eating food from Pittsburgh's finest Asian restaurants.
"You'll never go to a party in Pittsburgh with people of so many colors under one roof," Saluja says. "We wanted to create a proverbial tent under which all those people would come together. So we feel, much to our surprise and joy, that we are achieving what we set out to -- building bridges to and from Asia."
See www.silkscreenfestival.org for movie descriptions.
May 8
• Opening Night Selection: "My Dear Enemy" (South Korea), 7 p.m., 123 minutes. Harris Theater, Downtown.
• Red Carpet Gala, 8 p.m. to midnight, 6th Floor, 121 Seventh Street, Downtown. $75.
May 9
• "Speed of Life" (U.S.), 6 p.m., 85 minutes. Q & A with director follows. Regent Square Theater, Regent Square.
• "Chaturanga" (India), 8 p.m., 125 minutes. Q & A with director follows. Regent Square Theater.
• "All Around Us" (Japan), 4 p.m., 140 minutes. Harris Theater.
• "Sita Sings the Blues" (U.S.), 7 p.m., 82 minutes. Q & A with director follows. Harris Theater.
• "Parking" (Taiwan), 9 p.m., 106 minutes. Harris Theater.
May 10
• "Handle Me With Care" (Thailand), 3 p.m., 120 minutes. Regent Square Theater.
• "Kanichavaram" (India), 5:30 p.m., 117 minutes, Regent Square Theater.
• "White on Rice" (U.S.), 3 p.m., 120 minutes. Harris Theater.
• "My Dear Enemy" (South Korea), 7 p.m., 123 minutes. Harris Theater.
• "Nonko 36-sai" (Japan), 6 p.m., 105 minutes. Melwood Screening Room, Oakland.
• "Equation of Love and Death" (China), 8 p.m., 92 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
May 11
• "Chaturanga" (India), 8 p.m., 125 minutes. Regent Square Theater.
May 12
• "Kanichavaram" (India), 8 p.m., 117 minutes, Regent Square Theater.
May 13
• "Parking" (Taiwan), 9 p.m., 106 minutes. Regent Square Theater.
• "Flower in the Pocket" (Malaysia), 7:30 p.m., 97 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
May 14
• "Handle Me With Care" (Thailand), 7:30 p.m., 120 minutes. Regent Square Theater.
• "All Around Us" (Japan), 7:30 p.m., 140 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
May 15
• "Children of Invention" (U.S.), 7 p.m., 88 minutes. Regent Square Theater.
• "Speed of Life" (U.S.), 9 p.m., 85 minutes. Regent Square Theater.
• "Sparrow" (China), 7 p.m., 87 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
• "Kabuli Kid" (Afghanistan), 9 p.m., 97 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
May 16
• "Fruit Fly" (U.S.), 7 p.m., 82 minutes. Q & A with lead actress follows. Regent Square Theater.
• "Half Life" (U.S.), 9 p.m., 106 minutes. Regent Square Theater.
• "Nonko 36-sai" (Japan), 4:30 p.m., 105 minutes. Melwood Screening Room, Oakland.
• "Flower in the Pocket" (Malaysia), 6:30 p.m., 97 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
• "White on Rice" (U.S.), 8:30 p.m., 85 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
May 17
• "Children of Invention" (U.S.), 3 p.m., 88 minutes. Regent Square Theater.
• "Kanichavaram" (India), 5 p.m., 117 minutes, Regent Square Theater.
• "Kabuli Kid" (Afghanistan), 5 p.m., 97 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
• "Equation of Love and Death" (China), 7 p.m., 92 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
• "Sparrow" (China), 9 p.m., 87 minutes. Melwood Screening Room.
Additional Information:
Silk Screen: Asian American Film Festival
When: Friday through May 17
Where: Harris Theater, Downtown; Regent Square Theater, Regent Square; Melwood Screening Room, Oakland.
Admission: $9 for each film; $5 for students; $50 for an 8-film multi-screening pass.
Details: Web site or 412-322-3300, ext. 114.
Red Carpet Fundraiser Gala : 8 p.m. Friday, at 121 Seventh St., Sixth Floor (above Bossa Nova), Downtown. Live music, dance, performances and food from many Asian countries. Ethnic dress/cocktail-party attire preferred. $90.
