Twenty films will make up this year’s Indian Film Festival, running Sept. 5-14 at various locations around Cincinnati. The only Indian film festival in Ohio, it is organized and hosted by the India Sister Cities in collaboration with the Cincinnati Art Museum.
The festival features full-length, short and documentary films made by and about the people of the south Asian subcontinent. All the films are in English or are subtitled. Part of the schedule is longtime favorite Monsoon Wedding and newer films like I Am Marykutty, about a transsexual man's attempt to realize his true orientation in a society that stigmatizes gender transformation. Will Marykutty come out victorious while shredding all the taboos associated with transsexuality and achieve her dream of becoming a police officer? There's also Vardaniya, the story of Pyari (meaning "beloved") who did not know love. She was considered a curse when she was born. Rejected by her father and her other family members at birth by throwing her off by the side of the river, Pyari survives only because of her mother. Although Pyari faces ridicule at school and is ostracized by her neighbors, she comes out on top, galvanizing support for gender equality.
Joining Cincinnati Edition to talk about the festival and its cultural significance is Cincinnati Indian Film Festival Executive Director and President Ratee Apana.
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