12th Annual NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
May 23-27, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012, 12.30 pm, Theatre 2, Tribeca Cinemas.
Varnam Directed by: Raju Sivasankaran M
India. 2011. 120 mins. Tamil (with English subtitles)
Cast: Giri Daran, Monica Maruthiraj and Sampath Raj
Varnam was official selection for London Asian Film Festival and the Montreal World Film Festival.
Varnam is the story of seventeen year old Mani learning that privilege and prejudice have a price. Mani's uncle Durai exploits the helpless lower caste farmers. Mani's teacher Kavitha questions Mani's prejudices. His inner turmoil and violent consequences of his casual acts form rest of the story.
S.M. Raju was a successful computer scientist in the USA where he did his graduate studies. He worked as a senior researcher in Verizon Labs and then went on to start Knumi, a venture funded startup. He has two US patents to his credit. His passion for film and theater led him to write, direct and produce a dozen dance theater works for Aparna Sindhoor Dance Theater (www.navarasa.org), a dance company that he co-founded. He is also multiple winner of the James Baldwin playwright award. He was one of the Producers of Anandabhadram, a Malayalam feature film. Varnam is his directorial debut.
With
Like Smoke Directed By: Himmat Sarkaria
Cast: Simon Hill, Alika Autran, Alisha-jo Penney, Rick Forde
Canada. 2011. 14 mins. English
Argon Huxley has one last chance to find redemption and meaning in life. He is obliged by fate to murder the most feared gangster in town. But Argon will soon find out that a fulfilled destiny can drain the color from a man's entire existence and sometimes a familiar chest to die holding on to, is the biggest reward a human can hope to get.
Himmat is a Vancouver based filmmaker who is driven by his curiosity of connecting to the world around him and exploring the emotions that govern humanity.
After achieving his Bachelors of Applied Science from University of British Columbia, 2008, and working as an engineer, he found his soul dry. In late 2010 he decided to fulfill his passion of story telling and enrolled in the Film Production program at Vancouver Film School (VFS).
His need to express and display human condition led him to make his first documentary, Distant Hope, which explored the conflict between the sex workers and current Canadian constitution that jeopardizes their life on street.
To achieve a better understanding of technical side of filmmaking, Himmat performed the role of Director of Photography on three of the major short films shot produced during his enrollment at VFS.
For his final project he was convinced that he had to make a movie that would reflect upon human behavior and question its nature of impulsive decisions and actions. This ideology gave birth to his first short film "Like Smoke".
Himmat is currently producing a documentary that will examine the collapsing medical system in Mexico.
S.M. Raju was a successful computer scientist in the USA where he did his graduate studies. He worked as a senior researcher in Verizon Labs and then went on to start Knumi, a venture funded startup. He has two US patents to his credit. His passion for film and theater led him to write, direct and produce a dozen dance theater works for Aparna Sindhoor Dance Theater (
Himmat is a Vancouver based filmmaker who is driven by his curiosity of connecting to the world around him and exploring the emotions that govern humanity.
After achieving his Bachelors of Applied Science from University of British Columbia, 2008, and working as an engineer, he found his soul dry. In late 2010 he decided to fulfill his passion of story telling and enrolled in the Film Production program at Vancouver Film School (VFS).
His need to express and display human condition led him to make his first documentary, Distant Hope, which explored the conflict between the sex workers and current Canadian constitution that jeopardizes their life on street.
To achieve a better understanding of technical side of filmmaking, Himmat performed the role of Director of Photography on three of the major short films shot produced during his enrollment at VFS.
For his final project he was convinced that he had to make a movie that would reflect upon human behavior and question its nature of impulsive decisions and actions. This ideology gave birth to his first short film "Like Smoke".
Himmat is currently producing a documentary that will examine the collapsing medical system in Mexico.
